Socio-demographics, dietary diversity score, and nutritional status of children aged 2-5 years: A cross-sectional study of Indonesian coastal areas

• Main Authors: Vivilia Niken Hastuti (Author), Diana Nur Afifah (Author), Denny Nugroho Sugianto (Author), Gemala Anjani (Author), Etika Ratna Noer (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Elsevier, 2024-05-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2213-3984; 10.1016/j.cegh.2024.101599
• Keywords: Demak; Dietary diversity score; Nutritional status; Climate change; Children; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health, Vol 27, Iss , Pp 101599- (2024)

Background: Climate change has negatively impacted both food security and food diversity, including malnutrition (stunting, wasting, and underweight), especially among children in coastal areas. The dietary diversity score (DDS) is a good indicator used to assess the quality of food for children. This study aimed to investigate the association between socio-demographic characteristics, DDS, and nutritional status in children aged 2-5 years in the coastal area of Demak, Indonesia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 130 households with children aged 2-5 years living in the coastal area of Demak from April to July 2022. The socio-demographic characteristics were determined by interviewing the mother or child caregiver, followed by anthropometric measurements of the children. The DSS was calculated based on the 24-h food recall method. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, and Chi-square were used for statistical analysis. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 3.11 ± 0.93 years (girl 46.9% and boy 53.1%). Maternal education was significantly associated with children's DDS (P = 0.016). There was a significant association between the history of acute respiratory infection (ARI) and nutritional status based on HAZ (P = 0.023), and there was also a significant association between exclusive breastfeeding history and family type with nutritional status based on WHZ (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The study indicated a significant association between socio-demographic factors (mother's education, ARI history, exclusive breastfeeding history, and family type) with DDS and children's nutritional status in Demak.