Association of Maternal and Child Health Center (Posyandu) Availability with Child Weight Status in Indonesia: A National Study

Little is known about the childhood obesity prevention and treatment practices of Maternal and Child Health services (Posyandu) in Indonesia or in other countries. The present study aims to assess the association of the availability of Posyandu with overweight and obesity in children of different household wealth levels. This was a secondary analysis of data collected in the 2013 Riskesdas (or Basic Health Research) survey, a cross-sectional study, representative population-based data. Height and weight, the availability of Posyandu, and basic characteristics of the study population were collected from parents with children aged 0 to 5 years (n = 63,237). Non-availability of Posyandu significantly raised the odds of being obese (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.06-1.21) and did not show a significant relationship in the odds for overweight (OR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.93-1.07). This relationship persisted after a full adjustment (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.07-1.25 and OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.96-1.13, respectively). There was effect modification by household wealth, which was stronger for obese children. The availability of Posyandu has a protective association with childhood obesity in Indonesia. Posyandu services are well placed to play an important role in obesity prevention and treatment in early life.