Is it True that the Child is King?:Qualitative Study of Factors Related to Nutritional Status of Children in West Lombok, Indonesia

Abstract

Nutritional status in infants and toddlers is a very important indicator to indicate whether the development of health of a region is successful or not. The purpose of the study was to explore factors related to the nutritional status of troubled children in West Lombok Regency, Indonesia. The study was conducted with a qualitative design. Data was taken through interviews and observations on toddler suspected of having nutritional status problems. Data were analyzed by content analysis and thematic analysis method. The results of the interview were showed that the value of children for people living in the West Lombok, “the children is a king”. Although the results of observations were showed a different situation. Poverty makes parents of toddlers have no choice, and ultimately choose to work abroad. Toddlers whose parents work abroad must be entrusted to their relatives or grandmothers. Such conditions make the pattern of parenting, including the pattern of feeding, not optimal. This condition was exacerbated by poverty that surrounds them and the presence of infectious diseases that infect the toddlers. It can be concluded that the value of children is not related to the nutritional status of children. The main factors that were assessed to be related to the nutritional status of children in the West Lombok District were poverty. While other factors are related to family factors, infectious diseases, feeding pattern, and parenting patterns.