The eco-cultural context of the undernourished children in a study on the effects of early supplementary feeding in Indonesia.
OBJECTIVE
This paper describes the ecological and cultural backdrop of the subjects enrolled in an experimental study to test the validity of a conceptual model about the intellectual delay of undernourished children.


METHODS
The experiment was a 12-month clinical, randomized trial on the effects of early supplementary feeding on two cohorts of children classified as nutritionally-at-risk. Three different supplements (condensed milk + micronutrients; skimmed milk + micronutrients; skimmed milk) were given to the children during 6 or 12 months of the study.


METHODS
The plantations are 1500-1800 m above sea level in Pangalengan, 50 km south of Bandung, West Java. Temperature fluctuates from 10 to 17 degrees C. A high yearly precipitation is approximately 3000 mm. Communities are laid out at 5-15 km from one another. Living conditions are modest.


METHODS
The 156 subjects were recruited from 24 day-care-centers (DCC) that serviced families of 24 communities in six tea plantations. The 12- and 18-month-old cohorts included 73 and 83 children, respectively; each cohort included three subgroups that received distinct supplements.


METHODS
The interactions of the caretakers with the children in the DCCs were consistent with the socialization for survival mode. A primary concern was the physical growth, health, cleanliness, sanitation and safety of the children. Stimulating children, providing toys and initiating play or other activities that would emphasize educational development had a low priority.
Saco-Pollitt
C
C
California State University, Sacramento, USA.
Triana
N
N
Harahap
H
H
Husaini
M
M
Jahari
A B
AB
Pollitt
E
E
D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002657:Child Development; D002668:Child Rearing; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007214:Indonesia / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008297:Male; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000208:ethnology*; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors