Exploring husband’s contribution to toddler nutritional sufficiency: A socio-economic study from coastal and agromaritime communities

¹ Doctoral Program in Family Science, Faculty of Human Ecology, IPB University, Kamper Street, IPB Dramaga Campus, Bogor 16680, West Java, Indonesia
² Ministry of Population and Family Development/National Population and Family Planning Board, East Jakarta 13650, Indonesia
³ Department of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Human Ecology, IPB University, Kamper Street, IPB Dramaga Campus, Bogor 16680, West Java, Indonesia
⁴ Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Faculty of Human Ecology, IPB University, Kamper Street, IPB Dramaga Campus, Bogor 16680, West Java, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Stunting remains a chronic nutritional problem that affects the quality of human resources in Indonesia, especially in coastal areas with low economic conditions. This study aimed to analyze the relationships among household economic conditions, the household head's livelihood type, and parents' roles in the nutritional adequacy of toddlers in families at risk of stunting in the Sumur District, Pandeglang Regency, Banten Province. A mixed methods approach was used, involving 402 housewives through surveys, in-depth interviews, and group discussions. Quantitative analysis was performed using the Chi-square test and path analysis. The results showed that the father's occupation was not significantly related to the time allocated to childcare (p = 0.176), but was significantly related to total assets (p = 0.012) and per-capita income (p = 0.000). Economic pressure influenced mothers' time allocation for childcare (p = 0.000), and mothers' time was associated with their feeding practices (p = 0.001). However, the relationship between feeding practices and children's nutritional status was not significant, nor was the indirect pathway from mothers' time to nutritional status through feeding practices. These findings confirm that economic factors have a greater influence on children's nutritional status than parenting time. Efforts to reduce stunting must be comprehensive.