Paternal occupation and maternal misperceptions of sweetened condensed milk as key determinants of stunting among toddlers in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Tria Astika Endah Permatasari* -  Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta, Central Jakarta, Indonesia
Satria Yudistira -  Yayasan Abhipraya Insan Cendekia Indonesia (YAICI), Jakarta, Indonesia
Warsiti Warsiti -  Universitas ‘Aisyiyah Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Luluk Rosida -  Universitas ‘Aisyiyah Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Andari Wuri Astuti -  Universitas ‘Aisyiyah Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Sri Lestari -  Universitas ‘Aisyiyah Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Surantini Surantini -  Universitas ‘Aisyiyah Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Chairunnisa Chairunnisa -  Majelis Kesehatan Pimpinan Pusat ‘Aisyiyah, Jakarta, Indonesia
Lina Marlina -  Majelis Kesehatan Pimpinan Pusat ‘Aisyiyah, Jakarta, Indonesia
Arif Hidayat -  Yayasan Abhipraya Insan Cendekia Indonesia (YAICI), Jakarta, Indonesia
DOI : 10.30867/action.v11i3.3019

Sweetened condensed milk (SCM) is often misperceived as a suitable milk substitute for toddlers despite its composition. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics, SCM consumption, and stunting incidence. A cross-sectional study was conducted between May and September 2023 in Yogyakarta, involving 942 mother-toddler pairs using simple random sampling. Socio-demographic characteristics, maternal knowledge, understanding of SCM, and SCM consumption were collected through a structured questionnaire. Stunting was measured using height-for-age z-scores (HAZ). Data were analyzed using chi-square tests and binary logistic regression. The prevalence of stunting was 28.6%, and 5.1% of toddlers consumed SCM as a milk substitute. Several factors were associated with stunting (p<0.05), including mother's age, parental education and occupation, family income, mother's knowledge of nutrition, mother's knowledge of sweetened condensed milk, child's age, low birth weight (LBW), immunization history, history of infectious diseases, dietary diversity, reason for giving SCM, and understanding of SCM. Fathers’ occupation was identified as the dominant factor (p-value = <0.001; OR = 1.820), indicating that children of fathers working as laborers had a higher risk of developing stunting. In conclusion, these findings highlight the importance of improving parental understanding of SCM and strengthening fathers’ involvement in childcare.

Keywords : Parental perception, parental occupation, socio-demographic determinants, stunting, sweetened condensed milk

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Open Access Copyright (c) 2026 Tria Astika Endah Permatasari, Satria Yudistira, Warsiti Warsiti, Luluk Rosida, Andari Wuri Astuti, Sri Lestari, Surantini Surantini, Chairunnisa Chairunnisa, Lina Marlina, Arif Hidayat
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AcTion: Aceh Nutrition Journal
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