Women’s Agency and Family Planning Counselor Roles in Child Nutrition: Semi-Urban Yogyakarta Survey
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Authors
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Umi Mu’af Winingsih
Universitas Gadjah Mada
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Siti Andarwati
Universitas Gadjah Mada
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2461-8238
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Sunarru Samsi Hariadi
Universitas Gadjah Mada
Keywords:
Behavior Change; Child Nutrition Practices; Community Counseling; Extension Communication; Household Agency; Home Science Extension; Semi-Urban FamiliesAbstract
Child nutrition in semi-urban settings depends not only on food access but also on household decision-making and community counseling. This study examined the effects of women’s household agency and Family Planning Counselor roles on child nutrition practices among stunting-risk households in semi-urban Yogyakarta, Indonesia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2025 with 182 households in Sleman Regency, Bantul Regency, and Yogyakarta City. Data were collected through structured interviews and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. Women’s household agency had a strong positive effect on child nutrition practices (β = 0.740, p = 0.008), while counselor roles as educators, communicators, and facilitators had a smaller but significant positive effect (β = 0.189, p = 0.043). The two constructs were positively correlated (r = 0.309, p = 0.005), indicating that stronger household agency was associated with stronger counseling support rather than proving a causal interaction. Together, they explained 67.0% of the variance in child nutrition practices. Animal protein intake and energy adequacy were relatively stronger, whereas plant protein intake, dietary diversity, and micronutrient-related practices were weaker. The study concluded that extension-based nutrition support should combine household agency strengthening with practical counseling and facilitation for stunting-risk families.
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Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are not publicly available due to participant confidentiality and ethical restrictions. Data may be made available by the corresponding author upon reasonable request and subject to approval in accordance with the ethical requirements of the study.
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