Association of Program Performance and Community Participation in Posyandu Activities with Nutritional Status among Children Under Five

Childhood malnutrition remains a major public health concern in Indonesia, characterized by the coexistence of undernutrition and increasing overnutrition. Community-based growth monitoring through Posyandu plays an important role in monitoring child nutritional status, as reflected in program performance (N/D) and community participation coverage (D/S). This analytical observational study employed a cross-sectional design using secondary data from the SiGizi system of Puskesmas Pohjentrek, Pasuruan District, collected in August 2024. All registered children under five years of age were included using total sampling. The independent variables were N/D and D/S, while nutritional status as the dependent variable was assessed according to WHO standards using weight-for-age (WAZ), height-for-age (HAZ), and weight-for-height (WHZ). Data were analyzed descriptively and using chi-square tests. Most children had normal nutritional status, although undernutrition and overnutrition were still observed. The mean N/D and D/S were 47.66% and 87.57%, respectively. N/D was not significantly associated with WAZ or HAZ (p>0.05), but was significantly associated with WHZ (p<0.05). In contrast, D/S was significantly associated with all anthropometric indicators (p<0.001). These findings indicate that community participation in Posyandu is more broadly associated with child nutritional status than weighing coverage alone, highlighting the need to strengthen community participation, data quality, and follow-up in growth-monitoring programs.