Parental Digital Nutrition Literacy sebagai Prediktor Kemampuan Memilih Makanan Minim Ultra-Processed Food: Studi Kasus pada Keluarga Generasi Alpha di Indonesia

Abstract

The ease of accessing nutritional information online in the digital era is often assumed to automatically enable parents of the "Generation Alpha" cohort to select healthy foods for their children; however, abundant access to information does not necessarily equate to the ability to comprehend and apply it to daily food choices. This study aims to analyze the contribution of parental digital nutrition literacy to a family's ability to select foods low in Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs) for early childhood-aged children. Employing a qualitative method with a descriptive case study design, the research involved parents and young children from several Generation Alpha families in urban Indonesia as subjects, utilizing data collection techniques such as in-depth interviews, questionnaires, and dietary pattern observations. The findings indicate that while parents possess a reasonably good ability to seek digital nutritional information, their capacity to understand food labels and food processing classifications remains low; consequently, high information access is not automatically matched by a commensurate ability to select foods low in UPFs, particularly when facing pressure from children influenced by digital food advertising. This study contributes by mapping the gap between access and understanding regarding parental digital nutrition literacy and proposes intervention points focused on strengthening label-reading and food classification skills—factors that serve as more decisive predictors than mere information access.