Analysis of Toddlers' Malnutrition Incidence and Adherence to Clean and Healthy Living Behavior in Sei Kepayang Timur Health Center

Abstrak

Undernutrition is a health problem that has a long-term impact on child growth and development, which can occur due to insufficient intake or excessive energy use. One of the factors contributing to undernutrition is the failure to implement clean and healthy living behaviors (PHBS). However, the national PHBS achievement has only reached 39.1% and the prevalence of children with undernutrition in Indonesia has reached 7.5%. This study aims to determine the effect of PHBS on the incidence of undernutrition among toddlers in the Sei Kepayang Timur Community Health Center (CHC) area. This study is a quantitative analytical study involving 200 families with children under five years of age, selected incidentally. Data were collected using direct observation checklists and basic information questionnaires. The majority of families in the Sei Kepayang Timur CHC work area (92%) still did not achieve PHBS, and 42% had children with undernutrition. Data analysis showed that overall PHBS was significantly associated with malnutrition (p<0.05). Among the ten PHBS indicators, only the second, third, fifth, and tenth indicators were found to influence malnutrition, with the tenth indicator being the most influential factor (p<0.05: OR: 3.855). Achieving clean and healthy living behaviors, such as exclusive breastfeeding, monthly weighing of infants, washing hands with soap and running water, and not smoking indoors, plays a crucial role in preventing malnutrition among infants.