Anemia in adolescent girls is still a problem in Indonesia. The impact of anemia is quite significant for adolescent health. This study aims to analyze related factors of anemia among adolescent girls, and the effect of anemia on the quality of life. The study was conducted in the Soreang District, West Java, Indonesia. This cross-sectional study involved 286 female students (15–19 years). A 24-h recall questionnaire was used to collect the nutrient intake. We use the WHOQOL-BREF to analyze the quality of life. The study assessed height, weight, body mass index (BMI), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), and a capillary blood sample to determine hemoglobin levels. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression tests were measured to find the factors most influencing anemia. The prevalence of anemia was 14.3%. Related factors of anemia in this study were: duration of blood show per menses, iron consumption, weight, height, and MUAC. From bivariate analyses, anemia influenced the social relationships domain with p < 0.05. Multivariate logistic regression showed that the most influencing factors for anemia were MUAC and duration of blood per menses. Anemia impacted the social relationships domain. In this study, the two main factors that affected anemia were MUAC and duration of blood each menstrual cycle.

Background: Iron deficiency anemia is a common problem among adolescent girls and women, with significant consequences on personal health. One of the causes of iron deficiency anemia is inadequate nutritional intake. This study explores iron-deficiency anemia and associated factors among adolescent girls and women in a rural area of Jatinangor, Indonesia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 95 adolescent girls and 85 women between April and November 2018. Cluster random sampling was used to select the participants from seven villages in the Jatinangor district. After obtaining informed consent, we collected sociodemographic data, menstrual histories, and related data, including nutritional intake using 24-hour dietary recall. Anthropometrics were gathered to determine the body mass Index (BMI), and venous blood samples were analyzed for complete blood count and hemoglobin levels. Descriptive statistics followed by bivariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify anemia-associated factors. Results: The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia among the girls was 21.1% and 9.4% among women, with an average hemoglobin level in adolescents of 10.75 g/dL (± 0.79) and in adults 11.20 g/dL (± 0.61), whereas MCV was 74.49± 8.22 fL in adolescents and 7.61± 8.62 fL in adults. The majority of our samples were not stunted in growth and were also within a normal weight range. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that protein intake (OR=0.25; 95% CI 0.11– 0.58) was a positively associated factor with anemia. Conclusion: The prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia in this study represents a mild public health problem in the study sample. Based on the hemoglobin level, anemia, can be classified as moderate in adolescents and mild in adults. Low levels of MCH indicate iron-deficiency anemia. Sufficient protein intake did not prevent anemia due to macronutrient and micronutrient intake.

Nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae underpins disease development and transmission. This study was performed to examine pneumococcal carriage dynamics, including density and multiple serotype carriage, in Indonesian infants during the first year of life. Two hundred healthy infants were enrolled at 2 months of age. Eight nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from enrolment until 12 months of age. Pneumococci were detected using quantitative PCR and serotyped by microarray. Regression models assessed factors influencing pneumococcal carriage and density. Eighty-five percent of infants carried pneumococci at least once during the study. The median age at first acquisition was 129 days (interquartile range 41-216 days). The median duration of carriage was longer for the first pneumococcal acquisition compared with subsequent acquisitions (151 days vs. 95 days, p<0.0001). Of the 166 infants who carried pneumococci during the study, the majority (63.9%) carried a single pneumococcal serotype at a time. Pneumococcal carriage density was higher when upper respiratory tract infection symptoms were present, lower during antibiotic usage, decreased with age, and tended to decrease over time during a carriage episode. The majority of Indonesian infants carry pneumococcus at least once during the first year of life. Pneumococcal carriage is a dynamic process, with pneumococcal density varying during a carriage episode.

Stunting or growth failure is a health problem faced by the world today, especially in developing countries, including Southeast Asia. The Southeast Asian region accounts for more than a quarter of the number of children experiencing stunting worldwide. In addition to impacting children’s growth and development, mortality and morbidity rates will also affect the economies and productivity of countries in the future. This scoping review aimed to systematically map the research that has been conducted in this area and identify existing gaps in knowledge related to risk factors for stunting in the Southeast Asian region. A scoping review was conducted using three databases: Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and one academic publisher, Taylor & Francis. The keywords used were “Children,” “Risk Factors,” “Stunting.”. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) studies with a population of children under five years of age, (2) studies addressing risk factors for stunting, (3) studies conducted in countries in the Southeast Asian region, (4) studies of all research types, and (5) articles published in English. Of the 2252 articles, 54 met the inclusion criteria. In this review, the risk factors associated with stunting in children under five years of age in Southeast Asia were categorized into direct, underlying, and basic factors. Direct factors include parental and child characteristics, food intake, and health. Underlying factors include the practice of providing food and access to health services and care. The basic factors causing stunting are environmental, household health, and socioeconomic factors. This scoping review determined the risk factors for childhood stunting in Southeast Asia, such as attributes of the child, traits of the parent, the amount of food the child consumes, the health of the child, feeding habits, access to health services, household and environmental health, and socioeconomic status. These factors are interrelated and affect each other. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to these factors to reduce the risk of stunting among underfives in Southeast Asia.

Mental health in adolescents represent a considerable public health issue in developing countries. These problems are considered a source of problem for adolescents’ quality of life. The study objective was to determine the association between mental health problems and sociodemographic variables among adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2016 using a school-based survey in 4 districts and 3 cities in West Java Province, Indonesia. Stratified multistage random sampling was used to select junior and senior high school students and self-administered questionnaires were used to collect study data which included: personal data, socioeconomic status scale, and self-reported version of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) which divided into 5 subscales. About 3452 adolescents of 32 schools were included in this study, 59% female, 56% junior high school, 56% district residence, most parents’ education were senior high school. The prevalence of mental health problems based on SDQ subscale as total difficulties, conduct problem, emotional symptoms, peer problems, hyperactivity-inattention, were abnormal 31.6, 38.9, 30, 29.3, 15.6, respectively. Mental health problems were more prevalent amongst adolescents in junior high school and residence in district area, with RR and 95% CI were 1.14 (1.04-1.26), and 1.18 (1.08-1.30). As conclusions mental health problems in adolescents were associated with education level and residence area

Background: Depression is one of the most prevalent mental health problems among adolescents. Mental health problems might be the result of child abuse considering that their prevalences are increasing simultaneously in Indonesia. The aim of this study was to determine the association between depression and a history of abuse among adolescents. Methods: An analytic cross-sectional study was conducted on 786 junior high school students from Bandung City, West Java, Indonesia. Subjects were selected using two-stage cluster sampling. The Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) and the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool (ICAST) questionnaires were applied to assess depression and a history of abuse, respectively. Depression was diagnosed by a psychiatrist after a positive score on the CDI. The data were analysed using chi-square tests and multiple regression. Results: A history of child abuse was associated with depression in adolescents. All dimensions of child abuse had a significant association with depression. Psychological violence had the highest risk factor for the occurrence of depression (PR = 6.51), followed by exposure to violence and physical violence. Sexual violence was not a common dimension of child abuse among students. Psychological violence had the strongest association with depression, and victims were three times more likely to develop depression (POR = 3.302, p = 0.004). Conclusion: Psychological violence was proven to be a strong risk factor for developing depression symptoms among adolescent students. While each victimization domain remained a significant predictor of depression, the experience of multiple domains during a child’s life-course may predict mental health risk. Early detection and interventions to prevent abuse and its consequences are critical.