Child Survival Strategies on the Growth and Development of Infants Aged 0-6 Months in Makassar City (A Study on Employed and Unemployed Mothers)

Abstract

The South Sulawesi Provincial Government, through the health Office, stated that South Sulawesi currently has a fairly high infant mortality rate. From January to September 2018, a total of 870 infants died. According to these data, the highest mortality rate was recorded in Bone District. High maternal and neonatal mortality rates have a major impact on families and communities. Therefore, it is highly expected that women's participation as housewives will directly determine the survival of their infants. This study aims to determine the effect of child survival strategies (CSS) on the growth and development of infants of employed and unemployed mothers aged 0-6 months. It is an observational study with a case-control design. This study involved employed and unemployed mothers who had infants aged 0-6 months. The sample was determined by the simple random sampling method in the case and control groups. The Data was collected through interviews using a questionnaire and then analyzed statistically. This study is expected to provide input for the Indonesian Government (Health Office) as a consideration in formulating policies to reduce infant mortality rates, especially in South Sulawesi. The results indicated a significant correlation between mothers' occupations and their infants' fine motor skill development category (p < 0.05 or = 0.033). The anthropometry of infants of employed and unemployed mothers indicated no significant differences, both in terms of age, body weight, and body length (with p > 0.05). There was a significant correlation between mothers' occupations and their infants' fine motor skill development category. The infants of employed mothers tend to have good fine motor skill development than those of unemployed mothers. The percentage of growth and development of other infants that fall into the good category was found to be higher in employed mothers than in unemployed mothers, although it was not statistically significant. Employed mothers have better CSS than unemployed mothers, although it is not statistically significant. Key words: Child Survival Strategies, Growth and Development, Infants