HUBUNGAN KEJADIAN DIARE DENGAN STATUS GIZI PADA BALITA DI RUMAH SAKIT UMUM UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH MALANG

Backgrounds: Diarrhea is a major health issue and a leading cause of mortality in children, particularly in the 1-4 year age group. The prevalence of diarrhea among children under five years in Indonesia remains high, with East Java being one of the provinces with the highest incidence rates, reaching 76% in 2019. Children are a particularly vulnerable age group to infections, especially in the early years of life. This condition is exacerbated by poor nutritional status, which can weaken the child’s immune system and increase the risk of severe complications such as dehydration and malnutrition due to diarrhea.
Objective: To examine the relationship between the incidence of diarrhea and nutritional status in children under five years at the General Hospital of Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (RSU UMM).
Methods: This research is an analytic observational study using a cross-sectional approach, involving a total of 40 toddler samples selected through a total sampling technique from the medical records of patients meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria at RSU UMM. Data were analyzed using univariate and bivariate methods, with chi-square statistical tests conducted via SPSS version 26.
Results: The statistical analysis results indicated a significant relationship between the incidence of diarrhea and the nutritional status of t children under five years, with a p-value of 0.025.
Conclusion: There was a significant relationship between diarrhea incidence and nutritional status in children at RSU Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang, with toddlers with good nutritional status more frequently experiencing acute diarrhea compared to those with poor or malnourished status.