Peer-reviewed article
The effect of nutritional assistance “gammarana program” on food acceptance and nutritional status of children in South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Nadimin Nadimin, Sirajuddin Sirajuddin, Sella Nur Afifah, Veni Hadju, Bohari Bohari ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001The Gammarana Program provided nutritional education and counseling through Village Nutrition Assistants in stunting-prone villages in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Over six months, the program worked with 2,148 families across 114 villages to improve infant and child feeding practices. The program increased feeding frequency by 12.1%, dietary diversity by 27.1%, and food acceptance by 25.3%, while reducing stunting by 5.4% and underweight cases by 2.6%.
Key points
- Feeding frequency increased by 12.1% after the intervention
- Dietary diversity improved by 27.1%
- Food acceptance improved by 25.3%
- Stunting in children decreased by 5.4%
- Underweight children decreased by 2.6%
Limitations
The study used a pretest-posttest design without a control group, so improvements cannot be definitively attributed to the program rather than other factors or changes over time. The six-month timeframe may not capture longer-term sustainability of the improvements.
Abstract
Background: Nutritional deficiencies are a public health issue requiring serious attention in Indonesia. This study evaluates the impact of the Gammarana Program on infant and child feeding practices and nutritional status in South Sulawesi. The program includes nutritional education and counseling provided by Village Nutrition Assistants (TPGD) in stunting-prone villages. The study aimed to assess the program’s effectiveness in improving feeding frequency, dietary diversity, food acceptance, and overall nutritional status of children. Methods: A pretest-posttest design without a control group was used, involving 114 stunting-prone villages and 2,148 families. Over six months, TPGD provided education and counseling on infant and child feeding, growth monitoring, and supplementary feeding. Data were collected through interviews and anthropometric measurements and analyzed using McNemar’s test to determine changes before and after the intervention, with significance set at p<0.05. Results: Results showed a 12.1% increase in feeding frequency, a 27.1% increase in dietary diversity, and a 25.3% improvement in food acceptance. The proportion of underweight children decreased by 1.2%, stunted children by 5.4%, and underweight children by 2.6%. Significant improvements were observed in feeding frequency, dietary diversity, and stunting reduction. Additionally, the increase in average nutritional Z-scores indicated an overall improvement in children's nutritional status. Conclusion: The Gammarana Program effectively improved feeding practices and reduced stunting rates in South Sulawesi.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- The Gammarana Program: nutritional education and counseling provided by Village Nutrition Assistants (TPGD), including guidance on infant and child feeding, growth monitoring, and supplementary feeding
- Population
- 2,148 families with children in 114 stunting-prone villages in South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Key finding
Feeding frequency increased by 12.1%