Perceived program implementation and learning conditions as predictors of nutrition policy legitimacy

Abstract

Background: Launched in 2025 as a flagship policy of Indonesia's new administration, the Free Nutritious Meal Program (Makan Bergizi Gratis/MBG) is theoretically positioned to improve child health and educational outcomes while also serving as a political instrument of governmental legitimation yet quantitative research simultaneously examining how implementation perceptions, student learning conditions, and policy legitimacy and their relation remains scarce, a gap this study addresses. Methods: This study employed a quantitative approach with an ex post facto design. Data were collected from 117 students across schools implementing the MBG program, selected through purposive sampling. The instrument measuring perceptions of MBG implementation, student learning conditions, and public policy legitimacy, using a 5-point Likert scale. Findings: The regression model demonstrated strong explanatory power (R² = 0.603; F = 86.497; p < 0.001). Student learning conditions emerged as the strongest positive predictor (β = 0.852; t = 12.330; p < 0.001). Paradoxically, perceptions of MBG implementation were negatively correlated with legitimacy (β = -0.172; t = -2.496; p = 0.014). The simultaneous test indicates that both variables significantly influence policy legitimacy. These findings demonstrates that legitimacy is built upon tangible impacts and implementation effectiveness. Conclusion: The MBG program's legitimacy hinges on real implementation quality, not just its positive effects on learning since poor food quality, timeliness, cleanliness, and consistency erode public support and show it must be judged by outcomes, not political spectacle. These implementation indicators still offer concrete guidance for school nutrition quality control, even without direct measures of dietary intake or nutritional status. Novelty/Originality of this article: This study provides the first quantitative empirical evidence on the relationship between MBG implementation perceptions and policy legitimacy, integrating four theoretical frameworks: Human Capital Theory, Output Legitimacy Theory, Cognitive Dissonance Theory, and Institutional Trust Theory, to explain the dynamics of school nutrition policy legitimacy.