Kata Kunci

Abstrak

Background and purpose: There is a great deal of mythical erroneous information regarding children's nutrition that can affect styles of parental feeding. If it is left uncontrolled, it may influence the nutritional status that leads to malnutrition. The purpose of this study is to determine the association between styles of parental feeding and the nutritional status of children ages 2 to 5 years old. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in November-December 2023 in Jember, East Java, Indonesia. Samples were 244 mothers who were selected purposively and satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were collected through interviews, which included parents’ and children’s characteristics, feeding practices using a validated structured questionnaire (FPSQ-28), and children’s nutritional status. Descriptive analysis followed by correlation analysis was performed. Results: Most parents earn more than IDR 2,000,000 and work as self-employed, whereas more than half of the respondents, both fathers and mothers, had at least a high school education, and the majority were of normal height (150-170 cm) and had a normal body mass index. There is a weak positive association between the styles of parental feeding and body weight for age (r=0.183; p=0.040), while no significant association was found with body weight for height (r=0.08; p=0.216). Conclusion: Styles of parental feeding affected children's feeding and nutritional status, particularly concerning chronic conditions. In order to maintain children's nutrition or balanced nutrition, it is necessary to conduct education and evaluation of parental feeding styles.