Maternal Care Behavior and Care for Children Under Two during the First 1000 Days of Life in Relation to Stunting Incidence in Simoro Village, Sigi Regency

¹ Department of Public Health, Faculty of Public Health, Tadulako University, Palu, Indonesia. Address: Jl. Soekarno Hatta, KM 9, 90417
² Department of Geo Physic, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Tadulako University
³ Department of Geographic Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Tadulako University
⁴ Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Tadulako University
⁵ Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medical, Tadulako University

^* Corresponding author: nurrosmala09@gmail.com

Abstract

Stunting remains a health problem in Central Sulawesi Province, as its prevalence is still above the national average. Sigi Regency, one of the regencies in Central Sulawesi, has a high stunting prevalence, reaching 26.4%. The risk factors for stunting include various factors, one of which is maternal care behavior during the prenatal, birth and postnatal periods, which are collectively known as care in the first thousand days of life. This study aims to investigate the maternal care behaviors of pregnant women and mothers of children under two years old during the first 1000 days of life in relation to the incidence of stunting in Simoro Village. This quantitative research uses a cross-sectional approach. The sample size in this study consists of 40 participants, including pregnant women and mothers of childrenunder two years old in Simoro Village, Sigi Regency. The sampling technique used is purposive sampling. Data collection through interviews using questionnaires.The analytical method used in this research was the Chi-Square test. The results show that there was a significant relationship between the knowledge variables (p=0.007), attitudes (p=0.031), and maternal care behavior variables during the first 1000 days. There is a significant relationship between maternal care behavior variables during the first 1000 days, namely the variable antenatal visits (p=0.027), compliance with consuming Fe tablets (p=0.006), and exclusive breastfeeding (p=0.032), with the variable incidence of stunting. The conclusion of this study is that there is a relationship between knowledge and attitudes and maternal care behavior during the first 1000 days, and there is a significant relationship between maternal care behavior (antenatal care visits, adherence to consuming Fe tablets, and exclusive breastfeeding) and exclusive breastfeeding. stunting incident in Simoro Village, Sigi Regency.