THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOTHER’S KNOWLEDGE AND HISTORY OF EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING WITH THE INCIDENCE OF DIARRHEA IN TOODLERS AT BALOI COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER BATAM CITY 2024

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), diarrhea kills 760,000 children every year (WHO, 2015). All child deaths due to diarrhea, as many as 78%, occur in Africa and Southeast Asia (World Gastroenterology Organization, 2015). This research aims to determine the relationship between maternal knowledge and history of exclusive breastfeeding with the incidence of diarrhea at the Baloi Community Health Center, Batam City in 2024. This research uses a cross sectional method. This sample includes toddlers aged more than 6 months. The number of samples in this research was 79 with purposive sampling technique. The research location was carried out at the Baloi Community Health Center which was carried out in July 2024. The data collection tool used a questionnaire. Data analysis used the chi-square statistical test. The research results showed that 47 (59.5℅) mothers had low knowledge, and 32 (40.5℅) mothers had high knowledge. The research results showed that 23 (29.1℅) toddlers were given exclusive breast milk and 56 (70.9) toddlers were not given exclusive breast milk. From the research results, it was found that the incidence of diarrhea was 44 (55.7℅) who experienced diarrhea and 35 (44.3℅) toddlers who did not experience diarrhea. The results of the study showed that there was a significant relationship between maternal knowledge and the incidence of diarrhea with a p-value of 0.007. And the research results show that there is a significant relationship between the history of exclusive breastfeeding and the incidence of diarrhea in toddlers with a p-value of 0.004. It is recommended for research sites to carry out health promotion efforts in the form of providing education to the community about what diarrhea is and the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.