Information exposure and growth monitoring favour child nutrition in rural Indonesia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Malnutrition is a health problem among under-five children in Indonesia. The mothers' knowledge on nutrition and health in addition to growth monitoring program are essential components that may influence nutritional status of children under-five. The objective was to observe the importance of maternal information exposure along with growth monitoring program to the nutritional status of children in rural areas. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN A cross sectional study of 233 randomly selected mothers of under-five children from different geographical rural settings in Indonesia were interviewed and observed as to their exposure to nutrition and health information, growth monitoring program and nutritional status of the children. RESULTS The prevalence of underweight, stunting, and wasting was 50.5%, 18.0%, and 28.4%, respectively. The mean of height-for-age z score was similar across villages, however, the mean of weight-for-age (p=0.039) and weightfor- height (p=0.047) were significantly lower in Kenduren compared with Karangrejo village. The possession of a growth monitoring card in Kenduren was significantly lower compared with Karangrejo (p<0.001) or Buko villages (p<0.001). The prevalence of underweight (p=0.001) or stunting (p=0.021) was higher among children who did not possess a growth monitoring card. The prevalence of stunting was higher among children who did not routinely go to Posyandu (Integrated Health Post) in the last 3 months (p=0.018). CONCLUSION Maternal exposure to nutrition and health information, along with growth monitoring programs, contribute to the prevalence of underweight and stunting among rural children who are under-five years old.