• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.60 no.10
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• pp.320-326
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• 2017

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate a pilot project of the Nursing Feeding Center "Posyandu Plus" (NFCPP) through local food-based complementary feeding (LFCF) program designed to improve the nutritional status of children aged 6-36 months at community health centers in Indonesia. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used to obtain data regarding the nutritional status of 109 children who participated in the project from 6 rural areas. The NFCPP was conducted for 9 weeks, comprising 2 weeks of preintervention, 6 weeks of intervention, and one week of postintervention. The LFCF intervention consisted of 12 sets of recipes to be made by mothers and given to their children 4 times daily over 6 weeks. The weight-for-age z score (WAZ), height-for-age z score (HAZ), weight-for-height z score (WHZ), and body mass index-for-age z score (BAZ) were calculated using World Health Organization Anthro Plus version 1.0.3. Results: LFCF intervention significantly increased WHZ, WAZ, and BAZ scores but decreased HAZ scores (P<0.001). Average scores of WHZ ($0.96{\pm}0.97$) and WAZ ($0.45{\pm}0.72$) increased; BAZ increased ($1.12{\pm}0.93$) after 6 weeks of LFCF. WAZ scores postintervention were 50.5% of normal, and WHZ scores were 77.1% of normal. However, the HAZ score decreased by $0.53{\pm}0.52$, which indicated 57.8% had short stature. Conclusion: The NFCPP program with LFCF intervention can improve the nutritional status of children in rural areas. It should be implemented as a sustained program for better provision of complementary feeding during the period of lactation using local food made available at community health centers.