The Effect of Moringa oleifera Flour Given for Mothers Breastfeeding Against Morbidity of Baby Ages 0-6 Months in Jeneponto District

Background: Moringa oleifera is one of the vegetable food sources which has many nutritional content (minerals, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin B, sources of calcium, protein, potassium, and iron, amino acids such as methionine and cystine) which are very important to prevent disease.

Aims: To assess the large difference in infant morbidity from groups of mothers who received Moringa oleifera flour and groups who received iron tablets.

Method: Experimental with Randomized Double Blind design, Controlled design. The population in this study were community groups of pregnant and lactating women, a large sample of 20 pregnant women each group (Moringa Oleifera flour (GTK, n = 20) and received iron folate capsules (GBF, n = 20). Bivariate analysis uses chi-square and multivariate logistic regression to see the value of OR.

Results: There is a significant effect of moringa flour intervention on Morbidity of Infants aged 3 months (ρ = 0.018) and 6 months (ρ = 0.006). Based on the Odds Ratio test, the use of Moringa flour 5,500 times better for infant morbidity compared to the use of iron (Fe) tablets at 3 months of age and the use of Moringa flour 7.857 times better for infant morbidity than the use of iron (Fe) tablets at the age of infants 6 months are measured based on the morbidity of children in the last 3 months.

Conclusion: There is an effect of the intervention of Moringa flour on infant morbidity, the use of Moringa flour is better than the use of iron tablets (Fe). Moringa flour provides the same benefits as Fe and can be an alternative fulfillment of nutrition to maintain the health of children in order to avoid disease.