Correlation between nutritional status and participation in the growth and development of cognitive ability in children aged 2-5 years in Makassar, Indonesia

This study aimed to determine the correlation between of nutrition status and participation on child’s growth development services on cognitive abilities of children aged 2-5 years in Makassar. This study design used Cross Sectional Study in Biringkanaya Sub-District of Makassar. 55 children aged 2-5 years were chosen as samples in the study. Data were processed and analyzed by SPSS, using Chi-Square. The results showed that 58.2% of respondents did not follow the complete development of the service; 60% had underweight and 58.9% had low cognitive abilities. There was no significant correlation between participation in the child’s growth development services and nutritional status on the cognitive ability of the respondents (p>0.05). Since there was high nutritional status of underweight children, there should be programs to help improve the nutritional status of children, especially children aged less than 5 years such as counseling and coaching for mother, teacher and officer of Posyandu.