Effect of Moringa leaf supplements during pregnancy: Follow-up study on the development of pre-school children in rural area, Indonesia

Resumen

This study is a follow-up study from experimental research that provides moringa supplements in the form of flour (GTK) and extract (GEK) as well as iron folate supplements (GBF) to pregnant women. Micronutrients are very important for the development of the child's brain during the womb and infancy. This study seeks to see the extent of the effect of Moringa leaf supplementation during pregnant women on the development of children at preschool age (5-6 years) in Jeneponto Regency. This study is an analytical observational study with a cross-sectional design with a total sample of 301 preschool-age children (5-6 years) taken by purposive sampling.in six sub-districts in Jeneponto Regency who when pregnant their mothers received moringa and iron folate supplements. Measurement of child development using the Pre-Developmental Screening Questionnaire. Data analysis using the SPSS 25 program and statistically with the Kruskal Wallis test, Chi-square.  and Multinomial Logistic Regression . The sample characteristics consisted of 155 boys and 146 girls, with an economic status of 90.36% lower middle class and 86.7% of mothers as IRT. The results showed that there was no developmental difference between GTK, GBF, and GEK ( p = 0.294).However, the average score of preschool children in the moringa group (GEK) showed better development. After control, the results of the Multinomial Logistic Regression test on the Likelihood output showed that there was an influence of Exclusive Breastfeeding History (p = 0.008), ECED Participation (p = 0.000), and Parental Stimulation (p = 0.001) on differences in the development of preschool children (5-6 years) in Six sub-districts in Jeneponto Regency. The development of preschoolers in the moringa and iron folate groups is the same. There are other factors that affect child development, namely Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) participation, Exclusive Breastfeeding History, and Parental Stimulation. Giving Moringa leaf supplements during pregnancy can be an alternative to blood tablets,