Peer-reviewed article
Assistance in Child Feeding Influences the Nutritional Intake of Stunting Children: Randomized Control Trial
Hj. Sukmawati ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study tested whether assistance with feeding helps stunted children in Indonesia eat better and gain weight. Researchers randomly assigned 30 stunted children aged 2-3 years in Makassar to receive feeding assistance or standard care. Children who received feeding assistance had significantly greater increases in their intake of carbohydrates, protein, vitamin A, and zinc compared to the control group, though weight gain was not statistically significant in either group.
Key points
- Stunting prevalence in Indonesia was 30.8% nationally, with South Sulawesi having the fourth highest rate at 34-36% between 2015-2017
- Intervention group showed significantly higher increases in carbohydrate, protein, vitamin A, and zinc intake compared to control group (p<0.05)
- The intervention had a positive but not statistically significant effect on weight gain in stunted children
- Study involved 30 stunted children aged 2-3 years in a community health centre setting
Limitations
The study is small (30 children) and conducted in a single location, which limits generalisability. The document does not specify the duration of the intervention, the specific nature of the feeding assistance provided, or why weight gain was not significant despite improved nutrient intake.
Abstract
Background. Basic Health Research (BHR) in 2018 noted the prevalence of stunting in Indonesia was still high 30.8%, and around 8.9 million Indonesian children stunted. The Province of South Sulawesi ranks the fourth highest stunting prevalence of all provinces in Indonesia. Nutrition Status Monitoring (NSM) results in the last three years show the percentage of stunting children in South Sulawesi in 2015, 2016 and 2017 was 34.1%, 35.6%, and 34.8%. Objective: This study wants to investigate effect of assistance in child feeding for stunting children to nutrient intake and weight gain. Method: The Randomized Control Trial (RCT). The sample is stunting children aged 2-3 years. There were 30 children (15 as the intervention and 15 as the control group). Study location in the Paccerakang Community Health Center in Makassar City. Statistical analysis used to test hypotheses using Mann-Whitney. Results: an increase in the intake of carbohydrates, protein, vitamin A, z ink higher in the treatment group than the control group (p<0,05). Conclusion: Child feeding assistance significantly influence the nutrition intake of stunting children and also have an effect but not significantly on weight gain of stunting.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Assistance in child feeding
- Population
- Stunted children aged 2-3 years in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Key finding
Carbohydrate intake significantly increased in treatment group compared to control (p<0.05)