How is Mothers' Characteristics of Toddlers Below the Red Line?

Abstract

Background: Below the Red Line is the main cause of death among children <5 years old. Indonesia is one of the countries that still have some nutritional problems such as malnutrition, short nutrition and over nutrition, leading to 54% of deaths among children under five years old. Toddlers aged 12-59 months in Surabaya are still suffering from malnutrition despite receiving health services from the puskesmas. That is caused by several factors influencing the mother's role in taking care of her children. Objective: This study aimed to determine the description of the Red Line incidence among children. Methods: The population in this study were 691 toddlers aged 12-24 months with 31 toddlers in Below the Red Line category in Puskesmas Wonokusumo, Surabaya. The sample was taken using a simple random sampling method. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive analysis with percentage and frequency distribution techniques. Results: The data showed that 69.8% of the mothers aged 21-30 years are classified in the healthy reproductive period. As many as 81.1% of them are unemployed, 49.1% graduated from elementary school, and 52.8% have adequate knowledge. Mothers’ age is one of the indirect factors. If they are classified in the young age, they are considered to be lacking knowledge about nutrition for their children. Therefore, children become vulnerable to experience malnutrition. Conclusion: Interventions towards factors that influence Below the Red Line incidence have been carried out to prevent and overcome the problem of nutritional status. This program is not optimal due to the lack of society understanding related to the importance of nutrition improvement programs and active participation in Pos Pelayanan Terpadu or Integrated Healthcare Centre (Posyandu), so the intervention has not gone well.