Educational Workshop On Making Catfish Dimsum Through Demonstration To Increase Children’s Interest In Fish Consumption

Abstract

Fish consumption among children remains low, despite fish being a highly nutritious source of animal protein essential for growth and development. Children's lack of interest in eating fish is generally attributed to a lack of variety in preparation and cooking methods, making the food less appealing. This community service initiative aimed to enhance participants' knowledge and skills in processing catfish into more attractive food products—specifically, catfish dim sum. The activity employed a community development approach, combining educational outreach with hands-on training in making catfish-based dim sum. Data were collected through observation, documentation, and pre- and post-tests administered to 20 participants, followed by descriptive analysis. The results demonstrated that participants successfully prepared the catfish dim sum, showed active engagement during the demonstration, and experienced an increase in their average interest score from 25.75 to 26.46 following the activity. Thus, educational outreach utilizing catfish dim sum preparation demonstrations proved effective in boosting children's interest in fish consumption, offering potential as a practical educational strategy.