Nutritional Status of Children Aged 24–59 Months in the Working Area of Public Health Centers in Palembang City

Abstract

Nutritional status of toddlers is an important indicator in determining public health levels. According to the 2024 data from the Palembang City Health Office, Puskesmas Kertapati recorded 34 cases of stunting, 17 cases of wasting, 41 cases of underweight, and 3 cases of overweight among children aged 24–59 months. These findings indicate that both undernutrition and overnutrition remain public health concerns. Several factors such as exclusive breastfeeding, recurrent infections, environmental sanitation, family size, maternal education, household income, and parental occupation are suspected to contribute to children’s nutritional status. To describe the nutritional status of children aged 24–59 months in the working area of Puskesmas Kertapati, Palembang based on various influencing factors. This research used a descriptive quantitative method with a cross-sectional approach. A total of 78 children were selected using accidental sampling. Primary data were collected through structured interviews u sing questionnaires, and secondary data were obtained from anthropometric records at the health center. Data were analyzed descriptively to identify distributions of nutritional status and respondent characteristics. The study showed that most children were in the normal nutritional category, although cases of undernutrition and overnutrition were still found. Factors such as low maternal education, low household income, and inadequate sanitation conditions were linked to poor nutritional outcomes. Improving child nutrition requires comprehensive efforts through nutrition education, improved health service access, and community-based interventions in the working area of Puskesmas Kertapati Palembang.