NERS NEWS — The Maternal and Child Health Working Group conducted the GEMAS (Healthy Food Movement) activity at PAUD Mentari, RW 07, Dukuh Sutorejo. This activity took place on Monday, September 14, 2026, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. WIB. The activity was attended by 11 children from PAUD Mentari. Ms. Eka Misbahatul, S.Kep., Ns., M.Kep., accompanied the children throughout the activity. The organizing team had previously coordinated with the head of PAUD Mentari, RW, RT, and Surabaya Hebat Health Cadres to prepare for the activity.
The activity began with participant registration. The MC then opened the activity and explained the series of activities to the children. The committee invited all participants to watch a video together about healthy and unhealthy foods. After watching the video, the presenter explored the children’s understanding of its content. The presenter asked simple questions to encourage participants to respond. The children enthusiastically answered each question from the presenter.
The presenter then delivered brief material about healthy and unhealthy foods. The explanation used pictures of foods so that it would be easy for young children to understand. The activity continued with a game of sorting pictures of healthy and unhealthy foods. The children grouped the food pictures into two categories during the game. They learned to distinguish nutritious foods from foods that should be limited. The committee gave rewards to all participants for their active participation throughout the activity.
Several children were very active and walked around during the activity. This temporarily disrupted the focus of the other children. The committee and PAUD teachers then helped the participants refocus so that they could continue following the material. The GEMAS activity was developed based on the results of an assessment in RW 07, Dukuh Sutorejo Urban Village. The data showed that 22.2% of toddlers in the area had previously experienced undernutrition. Data from the Surabaya City Health Office in 2024 also recorded that the coverage of toddler growth monitoring was still below the target of 85%. Unair Young Nursing Profession students in the Community Nursing Rotation designed GEMAS as a promotive effort to support children’s growth and development. This activity targeted young children so that they could become accustomed to choosing healthy foods from an early age. The students hoped that this habit would continue as the children grow into adulthood.
Writer: Nisa Aulia Ibadillah
