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

Abstract

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.

Keywords

• Demak
• Dietary diversity score
• Nutritional status
• Climate change
• Children