The Potential of Local Fish Snacks in Improving the Performance of School Soccer Students in Ternate City

Background: Nutritional problems among adolescents are often attributed to inadequate intake, poor dietary quality, and low levels of physical activity. Adolescents require complete and balanced nutrition to support optimal growth, development, and physical performance. Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of a snack intervention made from mackerel scads (Decapterus sp) enriched with tuna liver on body composition, hemoglobin levels, and VO₂max among youth football school students. Methods: A one-group pretest-posttest design was used. The study involved 32 football school students aged 13–15 years in Ternate City, selected through purposive sampling. The nutritional content of the 90-gram snack included 14.81 g carbohydrates, 6.21 g total fat, 194.99 kcal energy, 15.09 g protein, 3.09 mg iron, and essential amino acids (0.54 g isoleucine, 0.96 g lysine, and 0.90 g valine). The snack was administered three times per week for 10 weeks. Data collected included dietary intake, body composition, hemoglobin levels, and VO₂max. Data analysis was conducted using Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS version 25. Results: Muscle mass increased from 14.32% ± 2.38% to 16.86% ± 2.41%, hemoglobin levels rose from 11.37 ± 0.39 g/dL to 11.93 ± 0.54 g/dL, and VO₂max improved from 36.93 ± 4.61 mL/kg/min to 41.84 ± 4.67 mL/kg/min. A slight increase in fat mass was also observed (14.86% ± 2.38% to 15.75% ± 1.94%). These improvements were attributed to the snack’s high content of protein, iron, and essential nutrients, which supported muscle development, hemoglobin synthesis, and aerobic capacity. Conclusion: The local fish-based snack intervention significantly impacted body composition, hemoglobin levels, and VO₂max of adolescent football players.