ASSESSING THE HEALTH AND NUTRITION OF CHILDREN FROM LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS IN RURAL PANDEGELANG, BANTEN, INDONESIA

Undernutrition is linked to food insecurity, which is brought on by low income, restricted access to wholesome food, low educational attainment, and poor hygiene habits, all of which contribute to the development of disease. To address undernourishment among children under five, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of undernutrition in children from low-income households and provide appropriate handling. Pandeglang District was selected as the study area due to its high rate of province undernourished children. Information was gathered on the children’s anthropometry, general characteristics, household socioeconomics, and 24-hour recall of food consumption. The results revealed that among the 105 children assessed, 40% were stunted, 23.8% were underweight, and 4.8% were experiencing wasting, indicating a notably high level of undernutrition. These figures place Pandeglang as the district with the highest undernutrition rates in the region, exceeding both the provincial and national averages reported in 2018. According to WHO standards, the area falls under the medium category for underweight and high category for both stunting and wasting. Dietary intake analysis using the Calculator of Inadequate Micronutrient Intake (CIMI) showed that only 55.2% of the children met energy requirements, while 50.5% and 53.3% met the needs for iron and zinc respectively. Alarmingly, nearly all (98.1%) had insufficient intake of vitamin A. This indicates that micronutrient deficiencies are a significant issue. It may have an impact on kids’ development and health. To address this problem, better diets, supplementation, and nutrition education are required.