Association of Maternal Employment Status with Nutritional Status among Children Aged 24–59 Months: A Cross Sectional Analysis

Abstract

Background: Trends in the nutritional status of Indonesian children under five indicate an increase in the prevalence of wasting and underweight, from 7.1% and 17.0% in 2021 to 7.7% and 17.1% in 2022, respectively. Both internal and external factors may influence the nutritional status of young children. Internal factors include age, infectious conditions, sex, and dietary intake, while external factors include family income, education, knowledge, parental employment, parenting practices, family size, and food consumption patterns. This study aimed to analyze the association between maternal employment status, parenting practices, and dietary patterns with the nutritional status of children aged 24–59 months.

Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design with a sample of 110 mothers and children aged 24–59 months. Samples were selected using a simple random sampling method. Data analysis was conducted using the Chi-square statistical test.

Results: Among the child respondents, the majority were female (61 children; 55.5%), while 49 children (44.5%) were male. Based on age categories, most children were aged 24–47 months (68 children; 61.8%), and the remaining were aged 48–59 months (42 children; 38.2%). Regarding maternal employment status, of the 110 respondents, most mothers were unemployed (80 mothers; 72.7%), while 30 mothers (27.3%) were employed. There was no significant association between maternal employment status and the nutritional status of children (p-value = 0.229).

Conclusion: Most mothers were not employed, and there was no significant association between maternal employment status and the nutritional status of children aged 24–59 months (p-value = 0.229).