Ensuring Household Food Security for Children 6–23 Months: Insights from Samarinda City

Article History

Submited : May 21, 2025
Published : June 4, 2025

Food insecurity remains a significant public health issue, especially among infants and young children. This study aimed to identify the determinants of food security among 6-23-month-old infants in Mangkupalas, Samarinda, Indonesia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 137 households with infants aged 6-23 months in Puskesmas Mangkupalas area. The study used consecutive sampling in 3 villages namely tenun, mesjid and mangkupalas. Quantitative data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using spearman rank correlation test. The study found that distance to markets and household income were significantly associated with household food security (p = 0.019, r = -0.201 and p = 0.008, r = 0.226, respectively). Interestingly, home gardening, which theoretically influences food security, was not found to have a significant association (p = 0.884, r = 0.017). The findings indicate that in urban areas, where food access heavily depends on purchasing power and proximity to food sources, household food security is shaped more by economic stability and market access than by subsistence practices like home gardening. Limited land availability and a narrow variety of cultivated crops may constrain the effectiveness of home gardening in contributing to nutritional adequacy.

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Ginting, R. M., Reski, S., Megasari, A., & Fikri, M. (2025). Ensuring Household Food Security for Children 6–23 Months: Insights from Samarinda City. Preventif : Jurnal Kesehatan Masyarakat, 16(1), 203-217. https://doi.org/10.22487/preventif.v16i1.2045
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