Inappropriate Feeding Practices Research Articles

PENERAPAN TEKNOLOGI DAPUR HIDUP SIAGA STUNTING MELALUI PELATIHAN BUDIKDAMBER DAN BUDIDAYA CHAYA KEPADA IBU BALITA

Stunting is a chronic nutritional problem caused by prolonged insufficient intake of nutrients due to inappropriate feeding practices over an extended period. Based on interviews with community health workers and mothers of toddlers in the Karanganyar area, the high prevalence of stunting is suspected to be due to the lack of understanding among the community regarding the importance of nutrition for child growth and development. Therefore, a solution that can be pursued involves the creation of locally sourced complementary feeding (MPASI) that is economically friendly yet rich in nutritional content, through the introduction of the Stunting Alert Kitchen (Dapur Hidup Siaga Stunting) using the budikdamber method and chaya cultivation. The implementation of this solution includes Focus Group Discussions (FGD), Stunting Alert Kitchen training and practice sessions for budikdamber and chaya cultivation, as well as guidance, monitoring, and evaluation. The outcomes of these activities include enthusiastic participation from the attendees. The sessions began with an introduction to chaya cultivation. Cultivating chaya plants is relatively simple as they do not require special treatment. Growing chaya in household gardens can support the household's food security by providing nutritious vegetables, enhancing overall health, and ensuring optimal nutritional intake. The subsequent activity involved budikdamber training. The advantage of budikdamber is its ability to serve as a means of fish cultivation in buckets without the need for pond space. It also allows for hydroponic cultivation of vegetables, which piqued the interest of mothers of toddlers.

The Effect of “Isi Piringku” Counseling with Video Blog (Vlog) Media on The Knowledge and Attitude of Mothers Under Children About Feeding Children Aged 6—59 Months

Data from The United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF), shows more than 50% of toddler's deaths are related to malnutrition, and two-third of those are related to inappropriate feeding practice for babies and toddlers, such as MP-ASI (complementary feeding) that is too fast or too late was given. The proportion of food varies consumption among children 6-23 months in Indonesia is 46,6%. The prevalence of stunting in Indonesia by 2018 is 30,8%. “Isi Piringku (My Plate)” is one of the implementations of dietary arrangements in accordance with balanced nutrition which was coined by The Ministry of Health in 2017 as a substitute of “4 Sehat 5 Sempurna (Healthy Four Perfect Five)”. Video Blog is one of the media that stimulates the senses of sight and hearing. The purpose of this research is to determine the differences in knowledge and attitude of mothers before and after counseling about “Isi Piringku (My Plate)” for toddlers (6-59 months) with video blog media.This research uses the Quasi Experimental Two Group Pre and Post Test Design. The intervention group was given counseling with vlog and the control group was not given any treatment (placebo) on the first day. The measurement of the final knowledge and attitude is done a week later. The results of this research shows that there were significant differences in knowledge and attitude before and after counseling with video blog in the intervention group with p knowledge p=0,000 (p<0,05) and p attitude p=0,000 (p<0,05). In addition, there were differences in knowledge and attitude of the intervention control groups after being treated with p knowledge p=0,000 (p<0,05) and p attitude p=0,000 (p<0,05). There is an effect of "Isi Piringku" counseling with video blog media on the knowledge and attitudes of toddler mothers about feeding toddlers.

Determinants of Inappropriate Complementary Feeding Practice among 6 months-2 years old children attending Institute of Child and Mother Health (ICMH), Dhaka

Determinants of Inappropriate Complementary Feeding Practice among 6 months-2 years old children attending Institute of Child and Mother Health (ICMH), Dhaka

Empowerment of health cadres in conducting stunting prevention efforts using EMPASI SEHATI educational media

Stunting is one of the nutritional problems experienced by the world, including Indonesia. Stunting occurs due to multifactorial causes. The incidence of stunting increases during the provision of complementary feeding. Many families practice inappropriate feeding practices, including early complementary feeding. Health cadres, as an extension of healthcare workers who interact directly with the community, are important in having the knowledge and ability to educate the community. The purpose of this community service activity is to empower health cadres to accelerate the reduction of stunting prevalence using the EMPASI SEHATI media. There is an increase in the knowledge of health cadres and the community regarding meeting the nutritional needs of children. The EMPASI SEHATI educational media can be an effective media that can be accommodated by health centers to increase public knowledge in the effort to prevent stunting in Indonesia.

Knowledge and Practices of Mothers Having Under weight Infants

Underweight remains one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among infants in low-income countries, over two-thirds of these deaths, which are often associated with inappropriate feeding knowledge and practices, such as breastfeeding and complementary feeding are responsible for one-third of the causes of underweight in infants

The Relationship between the Timing of Complementary Feeding and Maternal Knowledge of Responsive Feeding and the Incidence of Stunting in Children Aged 6-24 Months

In 2021, the prevalence of stunting among toddlers in Wani Primary Health Care (Puskesmas) was still high at 18.2%. Delayed introduction of complementary feeding (MP-ASI) and inappropriate feeding practices, such as lack of responsive feeding, contribute to the occurrence of stunting. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the timing of MP-ASI introduction and maternal knowledge of responsive feeding with the occurrence of stunting among children aged 6 to 24 months. This research employed a cross-sectional design using quantitative analytic observational methods. Simple random sampling was used to select the sample, and data were collected through questionnaire surveys from 126 mothers with children between the ages of 6 and 24 months. The study was conducted in the communities of Nupa Bomba, Bale, and Wani Lumbumpetigo, all located within the working area of Wani Primary Health Care. The results showed that 80.2% of the timing of MP-ASI introduction was inappropriate, and 62.7% of the mothers had insufficient knowledge of responsive feeding. The chi-square test revealed a significant association between the timing of MP-ASI introduction and the occurrence of stunting (p value = 0.047, OR = 0.290), as well as between the occurrence of stunting and maternal knowledge of responsive feeding (p value = 0.008, OR = 0.298). In conclusion, there is a relationship between the occurrence of stunting and the timing of MP-ASI introduction, as well as maternal knowledge of responsive feeding. It is recommended to enhance parental knowledge and attitudes and prevent stunting by providing nutrition education through counseling on proper complementary feeding and responsible childcare practices. This study highlights the importance of improving education and support for mothers to prevent stunting.

Empowering Cadres Through the Practice of Processing and Providing MP ASI in the Context of Stunting Prevention

Giving complementary feeding properly is not only to meet children's nutritional needs but also to stimulate children's eating skills. However, there are still many inappropriate complementary feeding practices, due to the lack of knowledge of mothers and the lack of available information. The cadres of Integrated Healthcare Centre (POSYANDU) as an extension of health workers are expected to be able to provide mothers with adequate information and skills regarding the proper practice of giving and processing complementary feeding. The purpose of this community service is to increase the knowledge of cadres regarding the practice of giving complementary feeding and the skills of cadres in processing the menu of complementary feeding. This community service involved 30 posyandu cadres in Rejosari Village. Activities carried out in the form of counseling accompanied by the practice of menu processing. Based on the results of the evaluation, the knowledge level of cadres has increased, which means that the cadres are considered to have understood and have been able to disseminate information related to proper complementary feeding practices and have been able to process the menu.

Nutritional assessment of pre-school children in Anganwadi centres and to understand its association with various socio-demographic factors

Background: Malnutrition is clearly linked to inappropriate feeding practices rather than food availability or household food security. A proper diet is essential from early stages of life for growth and development. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study. Results: Eighty-six percentage of children had normal weight for age, while 8.6% had low weight for age. 5% of children were stunted. Female children, those living in joint family, those having more number of siblings, low educational qualification of parents and late weaning were associated with under nutrition and stunting. Conclusions: Results of the present study showed that the nutritional status of children in the studied population were better compared to other available studies and the national standards.

The infant feeding methods promoted by South African Instagram influencers in relation to crying and sleeping, 2018–2020: a retrospective digital ethnography

BackgroundGlobally, there has been a decline in breastfeeding rates. This has resulted in increased infant mortality due to infectious diseases and inappropriate feeding practices. The aggressive marketing of breastmilk substitutes (BMS) by manufacturers has contributed, in part, to these declines. With the progressive use of social media, marketing has shifted from traditional methods to the use of influencers, who command a huge following on their social media accounts and influence the daily decisions of their followers. This study investigates the infant feeding methods and associated products promoted by South African influencers in relation to crying and sleeping and their followers’ responses.MethodsThis was a retrospective study, which used a mixed methods digital ethnographic approach to analyse posts related to infant feeding methods that were made by seven South African Instagram influencers between the period of January 2018 to December 2020. Framing analysis was used to analyse qualitative data and quantitative data were analysed descriptively.ResultsFrom the 62 posts that were analysed, 27 were sponsored advertisements (some violating local regulations) and 35 posts promoted breastfeeding. The 18,333 follower comments and 918,299 likes in response to the posts were also analysed. We found that influencers presented BMS products as a solution for a child who cries a lot and has trouble sleeping. BMS were framed as helpful for children who are seemingly always hungry and dissatisfied with breastmilk alone. The study also found that some influencers promoted breastfeeding on their Instagram pages. Unlike BMS posts, breastfeeding posts were not sponsored. With a few exceptions, followers tended to support and reinforce the framing of influencers.ConclusionStiffer regulations should be enforced against companies using influencers to promote infant formula and other BMS products, with proactive monitoring of social media. Professionals giving advice contrary to the guidelines from the WHO should be reported according to Regulation 991 and made accountable. Proactive engagement with Instagram influencers to promote breastfeeding should be considered.

Determinants of pre-lacteal feeding practice in Ethiopia: Evidence from the 2019 Mini Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS), a community-based cross-sectional study

Background: Every year, 10.9 million people die around the world. More than two-thirds of deaths were associated with inappropriate feeding practices. Within the first three days after birth, nearly two out of every five newborns are given fluids other than breast milk. The aim of this study was to assess the determinants of pre-lacteal feeding practice in Ethiopia among mothers who had a live birth child under the age of 24 months. Methods: Secondary data from Ethiopia's 2019 Mini Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS) were used. A stratified, two-stage cluster sampling method was employed in the MDHS. A total of 8,885 reproductive-age women were interviewed in the survey, but only 2,061 women with a live birth child under the age of two years were included. Our study focused on the details obtained for these 2,061 women. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with pre-lacteal feeding practices among them. A Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test was used to check the model fitness and a multicollinearity test was used to diagnosis collinearity between independent variables. Results: The results revealed that 12.1% (95%CI; 10.30%, 13.9%) of the women practiced pre-lacteal feeding. Mothers who lived in pastoralist regions (AOR:3.2; 95%CI: 1.5-6.84), who hadn’t attended antenatal care (ANC) visits (AOR:3.83; 95%CI: 1.55-6.27), who had attended 1-3 visits (AOR:1.65; 95%CI: 1.15-3.94), who delivered at home (AOR:1.72, 95%CI: 1.20-2.43), those who delivered by Caesarean section (AOR:3.72; 95%CI: 2.32-5.96), mothers who started breastfeeding after one hour (AOR:4.41; 95%CI: 3.23-6.02) were identified as the groups most associated with pre-lacteal feeding. Conclusions: Pre-lacteal feeding was practiced by a significant number of women in this study. Living in a pastoralist region, attending 1-3 ANC visits, home delivery, caesarean section delivery, and late initiation of breastfeeding were the determinant factors of prelacteal feeding among the women.

The factors influencing inappropriate child feeding practices among families receiving nutrition allowance in the Himalayan region of Nepal

BackgroundChild feeding practices during the first two years of life are crucial to ensure good health and nutrition status. This study aimed to assess the factors influencing inappropriate child feeding practices in children aged 6 − 23 months in families receiving nutrition allowance in the remote Mugu district, Nepal.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 318 mothers who had children aged 6 − 23 months of age in the seven randomly selected wards. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select the desired number of respondents. Data were collected using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression was used to estimate crude odds ratio (cOR), and adjusted odds ratio (aOR), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to understand factor associated with child feeding practices.ResultsAlmost half of the children aged 6 − 23 months were not consuming a diverse diet (47.2%; 95% CI: 41.7%, 52.7%), did not meet the recommended minimum meal frequency (46.9%; 95% CI: 41.4%, 52.4%) and did not consume minimum acceptable diet (51.7%; 95% CI: 46.1%, 57.1%). Only 27.4% (95% CI: 22.7%, 32.5%) of children met the recommended complementary feeding practices. Multivariable analysis showed maternal characteristics such as mothers who gave birth at home (aOR = 4.70; 95% CI: 1.03, 21.31) and mothers in unpaid employment (aOR = 2.56; 95% CI: 1.06, 6.19) were associated with increased odds of inappropriate child feeding practices. Household economy (i.e. family with < 150 USD monthly income) was also associated with increased odds of inappropriate child feeding practices (aOR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.05, 2.42).ConclusionDespite the receipt of nutritional allowances, child feeding practices among 6 − 23 months children were not optimal. Additional context-specific behavior change strategies on child nutrition targeting mothers may be required.

The relationship of mother’s feeding practices and the frequency of diarrhoea in under-five children

To determine the relationship between a mother's feeding practice and the incidence of diarrhoea in children aged <5. The quantitative, descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2021, in Tropodo village, Waru district, Sidoarjo, Indonesia, and comprised mothers having children who were aged <5 years. Mother's feeding practice was the independent variable, while the dependent variable was the incidence of diarrhoea in children. Data was collected using the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire and the relevant portions of the Demographic and Health Survey questionnaire. Data was analysed using Spearman Rho test. Of the 217 mothers, 110(50.7%) were aged 30-40 years, and of the 217 children, 96(44.2%) were aged 1 year. There were 124(57.1%) girls and 93(42.9%) boys among the children. There was a significant relationship between mother's feeding practice and the incidence of diarrhoea in children <5 (p=0.004; r=0.194). Inappropriate maternal feeding practices were found to have the potential to cause diarrhoea in children aged <5.

Impact of low birth weight and breastfeeding practices on the nutritional status of children aged 2 to 5 years in the slums

Malnutrition among children in developing countries is a major public health problem, especially in India. Inappropriate feeding practices, in combination with other causes such as infection and food shortage, may be responsible for 1/3rd of malnutrition. Moreover, the risk of mortality is inversely related to children's height-for-age and weight-for-height.&#x0D; The aim: To assess the nutritional status of children aged 2 to 5 years in the urban field practice area of SVIMS-Sri Padmavathi Medical College for Women, Tirupati and to determine the impact of low birth weight, breastfeeding practices and other related factors on the nutritional status of the above study population.&#x0D; Materials and methods: This is a community-based observational cross-sectional study conducted among 282 children aged 2 to 5 years in the urban field practice area of SVIMS-Sri Padmavathi Medical College for Women, Tirupati. Socio-demographic data, Birth history, breastfeeding practices and anthropometric measurements were noted in the study questionnaire. Nutritional status was determined using HAZ, WHZ and WAZ scores of WHO child growth standards. Data was entered and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 26 version to test for association between categorical variables, and a p-value &lt; 0.05 was considered statistically significant.&#x0D; Results: A total of 282 school children with mean age of 39.9 (+10.4) months participated in the study, of which 132 (46.8 %) were boys and 150 (53.2 %) were girls. This study observed exclusive breastfeeding in 193 (68.4 %) children. Prevalence of stunting, wasting and being underweight were 22 %, 12.4 % and 23.8 %, respectively. A statistically significant association was found between stunting (p=0.006) and underweight (p=0.001) with low birth weight children.&#x0D; Conclusions: The present study revealed a high prevalence of malnutrition, especially stunting, a common outcome of long-term malnutrition among young children. Low birth weight and inappropriate breastfeeding practices result in long-term adverse consequences on the nutrition of preschool children, which should be prevented through appropriate strategies.

Factors driving underweight, wasting, and stunting among urban school aged children: Evidence from Merawi town, Northwest Ethiopia.

Prior research identified malnutrition as one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among children globally. Furthermore, research revealed that over two thirds of deaths associated with inappropriate feeding practices occurred during the early years of life. Improper feeding practices impact a child's health in many different ways. However, research on the possible factors driving underweight, wasting, and stunting among school aged children in developing countries is limited, hence warrant further attention. Against this backdrop, this research strives to identify and assess the determinants of underweight, wasting and stunting among school aged children of a developing country-Ethiopia. A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 1, 2018 to June 15, 2018 in Merawi town, Ethiopia. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 422 children. Binary logistic regression technique was performed to examine the effect of each selected variable on the outcome measure. The prevalence of being underweight, wasting and stunting was found to be 5.7%, 9.8%, 10.4%, respectively. The age of the child [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 12.930 (2.350, 71.157)] and the number of children [AOR = 8.155 (1.312, 50.677)] were emerged as the key determinants for underweight, and the gender of the child was significantly associated with wasting [AOR = 0.455 (0.224, 0.927)]. Finally, the age of the child [AOR = 12.369 (2.522, 60.656)] was found to predict the risk of stunting. This study revealed the age, number of children and gender of the child to have a significant association with malnutrition. The findings of this research suggest that in improving the feeding practices of young school-aged children, special attention should be paid to female children and those coming from relatively large families.

Dietary diversity and nutritional status of children aged 6–59 months from rural fishing and non-fishing communities in Zambia

Low-quality complementary foods combined with inappropriate feeding practices put children under the age of five in developing countries at high risk for undernutrition. This study explored dietary diversity, fish consumption patterns and nutritional status of children in Luapula, a rural province in Zambia, where households rely on capture fisheries for their livelihoods. In the cross-sectional study, households with children aged 6–59 months were enrolled in the study. A semi-structured questionnaire was utilised to collect socioeconomic characteristics, dietary intake and anthropometric data. Descriptive statistics and bivariate associations were conducted. 23% of children aged 6–23 months met the minimum dietary diversity. About 49% and 41% of the children were fed on fresh small pelagic fish and large dried fish once to twice a week, respectively. Imbilya (Serranochromis mellandi), Chisense (Poecilothrissa moeruensis), and amatuku (Tilapia sparrmanii) were the most preferred fish species due to their availability and affordability. Only 3.5% of children consumed porridge to which fish powder had been added. There was a significant difference in the height for age z scores of children in the two communities (χ2= 12.404; p = 0.002, d.f = 2). Low dietary diversity was observed across the fishing and non-fishing communities and less than half of the children consumed fish despite proximity of the study sites to one of the largest water bodies in Zambia. Better nutrition outcomes were observed among children in capture fisheries dependent households. Nutrition education in growth monitoring and promotion centres should address the issue of adequacy of diets with regard to frequency and diversity.

Hubungan Praktik Pemberian Makan dengan Kejadian Picky Eater pada Anak Usia Toddler

Picky eater is an eating behavior disorder that occurs in toddlers appetite , refusing to be fed, picky eating and refusing to eat a varied menu behavior Picky eater that continues in the long term will cause growth and development disorders. Objective: To analyze the relationship between feeding practices and the incidence of picky eaters in toddlers. Methods: The research design used was descriptive correlation, with a cross sectional approach. The sample in this study amounted to 72 mothers who have toddler age children, which were taken using accidental sampling technique. The measuring instrument used is a questionnaire on maternal feeding practices and a questionnaire on picky eater that have been valid and reliable. Data were analyzed using chi-square test. Results: Chi-square showed that there was a significant relationship between feeding practices and the incidence of picky eaters age children toddler with pvalue (0.000) &lt; (0.05). The majority of mothers with inappropriate feeding practices resulted in children experiencing picky eater (91.3%). So that the more inappropriate the mother's feeding practices are, the higher the risk of the child becoming a picky eater. Conclusion: Mothers who show inappropriate feeding practices in toddlers willbehavior picky eater.

Influence of eating concept on eating behavior and stunting in Indonesian Madurese ethnic group

Background and objectivesStunting is a serious public health problem in Indonesia. Madura Island, which is inhabited by the Madurese ethnicity, had a very high stunting prevalence. The cultural factors of stunting mainly focus on food, food taboos, and early complementary feeding or prelacteal feeding practices. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the eating concept and its association with child feeding practices and stunting among the Madurese ethnic group in Indonesia.MethodsThis qualitative study was conducted in Sampang District, Madura Island, East Java, Indonesia. A total of 61 informants participated in this study (25 informants of in-depth interviews, 26 informants of FGDs, and 10 families in observations). Data collection consists of culture, values, and beliefs in child feeding practices that influence children’s nutritional status. The analysis used was content analysis by emphasizing the meanings, themes, and concepts of eating and stunting.Results and conclusionsStunting was considered a normal condition rather than a nutritional problem. The concept of eating is “eating rice.” Eating without other dishes is acceptable as long as there is rice on the plate. This concept affects inappropriate complementary food feeding practices and malnutrition among children under five. Overall, the study contributed to the improvement of the stunting reduction program by addressing how Madurese thought about eating and stunting.

A Cross-Sectional Study to Estimate the Proportion of Early Initiation and Exclusive Breastfeeding Practices in Rural Field Practice Area, Mysore

Introduction: Breastfeeding is the healthiest and easily accessible nutrient to the infants Malnutrition is more prevalentin India and inappropriate feeding practices are the one of the reason. So the current study is conducted to estimate theprevalence of early initiation and exclusive beastfeeding practices and factors influencing on these practices.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 198 mothers of children less than 24 months in the field practicearea of Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, Mysore by using simple random sampling method during March2015 to August 2015 by using pretested and semi-structured questionnaire. In our study we found that 70.2% mothersinitiated breastfeeding within 1 hour of delivery, the most common reason for delay was LSCS, 14.6% mothers practicethe prelacteal feed, 92.9% mothers fed colostrum, exclusive breastfeeding(EBF) was practiced in 105 (53%) mothers themost common reason for non-EBF was lack of knowledge 78 (47.6%). Gender, fathers education, socio-economic statusand number of antenatal visits had an influence on breastfeeding practices.Conclusion: Majority of the women not practiced EBF. The knowledge regarding proper breastfeeding practices should beemphasized on each antenatal and postnatal visits. Improved socio-economic status can improve breastfeeding practices.

Assessment of Complementary Feeding Practices and Nutritional Status of Children (0-24 months) in Akuku Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria

This study was carried out to assess complementary feeding practices of under-five children in Akuku Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State. A cross-sectional descriptive survey research was adopted for the study. The population for the study consisted of nursing mothers with children (0-24 months) attending their normal health services in seven (7) major primary health care centres in Akuku Toru Local Government Area, Rivers State. A sample size of 210 nursing mothers was selected for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire titled “Assessment of Complementary Feeding Practices of Children Questionnaire”. The questionnaire was validated by three validates. Data generated using the research instrument was analyzed using frequency, percentages and mean. The findings obtained showed that most nursing mothers initiate complementary feeding at early age and their reasons often times are pressure from their family members who do not understand the benefits of adequate breast milk and pressure from employers to resume work. Majority of the sampled nursing mothers in the study area prefer cereal/grain, fruits, vegetables, yoghurt and custard over other complementary foods used in nursing a child. Majority of the respondent agreed that the nutritional status of infants introduced to complementary foods at their early stage of development is usually underweight, stunting and wasting. It was also established that inappropriate complementary feeding practices adopted by nursing mothers in the study areas has significant effect on the nutritional status of their infants. Therefore, the study recommends that there is need for promotion of women’s health and nutrition as a strategy that will benefit child nutritional status. Interventional programmes should target poorer household and mothers with lower educational level to improve complementary feeding practices of mothers. Developmental programmes should focus on empowering women in rural communities by improving of household income through creation of employment and access to credit facilities that will enable women engage in sustainable means of livelihood.

Understanding Discrepancies in Nutritional Outcomes Among Under-Fives in Laos: A Mixed-Methods Study Using the Positive Deviance Approach.

Background:Stunting is one of the main contributing factors in the under-five mortality rate worldwide. In Laos, the prevalence of stunting remains high, particularly in mountainous rural areas. To prevent stunting, insight into positive deviant behaviors can help understand how people can cope or adapt in resource-poor settings.Objective:This study aims to analyze the practices and underlying factors that explain discrepancies in nutritional outcomes in children under the age of 5 in remote mountainous areas in Laos.Methods:This mixed-methods study included all children under the age of 5 living in 6 selected villages. Anthropometric measurements were taken, and a Z-score for stunting was calculated to select the positive and negative deviant children. To identify the causes of discrepancies in childhood stunting, household questionnaires, focus group discussions, observations, and individual interviews with family members and health workers were conducted.Results:Fifty-five percent of children were stunted. Inappropriate care and feeding practices were observed such as providing unbalanced diets and not attending health facilities. Positive deviant mothers were less likely to follow inappropriate practices, experienced less food insecurity, and had higher motivation and autonomy, which resulted in prioritizing their children’s health. An active role of fathers seemed to benefit positive practices within households.Conclusions:The combination of many different practices in which positive deviant families are doing slightly better was associated with in less stunting of children. Those practices are related to the household resources, such as access to food and social support; and the mother’s motivation, autonomy, and perspectives on child health.