Parental Knowledge of Balanced Nutrition and Healthy Food Provision for Early Childhood: A Correlational Study

Background: Sustainable food security is a critical issue in Indonesia. Kebocoran Village, Banyumas Regency, initiated the development of melon-picking agrotourism as an innovative solution to strengthen local food security and improve community well-being. Aims: To determine the relationship between parental knowledge about balanced nutrition and the practice of providing healthy food menus to children at Almaarif Islamic Kindergarten. Methods: Correlational, using a questionnaire on 80 respondents (parents). Data analysis used Spearman's Rank correlation. Result: There was no significant relationship (0.95 > 0.05) between parental knowledge and healthy food provision. The correlation coefficient indicated a very weak relationship (0.6%) and was unidirectional. The majority of parents' knowledge was moderate (55%), while healthy food provision practices were good (81%). Conclusion: The null hypothesis (H0) is accepted, namely that there is no relationship between parental knowledge about balanced nutrition and providing a healthy food menu to children.