The Nutritional Status of Vegetarian Children Under Five in Jakarta 2008

There are few studies on the nutritional status of preschool vegetarian children under five, but there is no official study on the status of preschool vegetarian children in Indonesia. The objective of this study is to understand the factors related to nutritional status of vegetarian and nonvegetarian children under five in Jakarta. Cross-sectional design is used in this study.. Samples collected by purposive sampling from the vegetarian and nonvegetarian children under five in Jakarta. 148 samples collected (75 vegetarian and 73 nonvegetarian). Data collected include weight, length/ height, mother and child characterization, child caring and health. Dietary intake using food recall 1x24 hours and BMI-for-Age (BAZ) is used for nutritional status. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate data are analyzed by using SPSS. 5.3% of vegetarian and 12.3% of nonvegetarian children under five are obese, 13.3% of vegetarian and 8.2% of nonvegetarian are overweight, 25.3% of vegetarian and 21.9% of nonvegetarian are at risk of overweight, 56% of vegetarian and 57.5% of nonvegetarian are normal 4% of vegetarian and 2.7% of nonvegetarian children are stunted. There is no significant relationship between diet pattern (vegetarian, nonvegetarian) and nutritional status (BAZ). There is no significant difference in nutritional status (BAZ) between vegetarian and nonvegetarian children under five.