Relationship of Nutritional Status with Language and Social Development in Infants Aged 6-12 Months

Abstract

The future of a nation depends on the success of children in achieving optimal growth and development. The first year of life, from the fetus to the child aged 2 years is a golden period in the growth and development of children. Developmental delays in this age range can affect cognitive decline in the future. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of nutritional status with language and social development in infants aged 6-12 months at the Tabaringan Health Center Makassar City. This study was descriptive cross-sectional approach with the sample of this study being mothers who had babies aged 6-12 months who met the research criteria by accidental sampling. Data collection techniques were used by the Denver Development Screening Test II (DDST) questionnaire. Data was analyzed using Chi-Square test. The results obtained in this study included 25 infants with good nutritional status (83.3%) and 5 infants with poor nutritional status (16.7%). There was no significant relationship between nutritional status and language development in infants aged 6-12 months (p value = 0.474). There is a relationship between nutritional status and social development in infants aged 6-12 months (p value = 0.025). Suggestions for health workers are expected to further improve the monitoring of nutritional status of infants and conduct routine early detection of deviations of infant development