The Impact of the Free Nutritious Meal Program on Working Memory and Receptive Language in Early Childhood

Vollständiger Abstract

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Optimal nutrition in early childhood is an important determinant of neurocognitive development, however, empirical evidence regarding the impact of the Makanan Gizi Gratis (MBG) on the cognitive and linguistic outcomes of children in Indonesia is still very limited because program evaluations generally stop at anthropometric indicators. This research aims to analyze the impact of the MBG Program on working memory and receptive language development in young children and measure the magnitude of the effect. The approach used was quantitative with a quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group pretest–posttest design involving 72 children aged 4–6 years from six Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini (PAUD) institutions in Bengkulu City, consisting of an experimental group (n = 36, MBG recipients) and a control group (n = 36, non-MBG recipients) determined through purposive cluster sampling. Working memory was measured using the Digit Span Backward subtest adapted for early childhood (α = 0,81), while receptive language was measured using the Indonesian adaptation of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–Fourth Edition (α = 0,89). Data were collected through pretest and posttest throughout the 12 weeks of intervention, then analyzed using an independent samples t-test on gain score and Cohen's d. The results showed that the experimental group's gain score was significantly higher than the control group, both in working memory, t(70) = 4,28, p < 0,001, d = 1,02, and in receptive language, t(70) = 3,91, p < 0,001, d = 0,93, with relatively large effect sizes. It was concluded that structured nutritional interventions in critical periods of development are able to improve children's cognitive and linguistic capacities, so the MBG Program needs to be strengthened as an integrated nutrition-education strategy whose monitoring includes indicators of cognitive and language development.