title: The eco-cultural context of the undernourished children in a study on the effects of early supplementary feeding in Indonesia.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: California State University, Sacramento, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saco-Pollitt
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Triana
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Harahap
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Husaini
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Jahari
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pollitt
mesh_terms: 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