Nutrition management of infants and toddlers in a post-disaster situation

Abstract

Indonesia is highly susceptible to natural disasters, making nutrition management crucial for supporting refugees, especially infants and toddlers. This article reviews post-disaster nutritional interventions, focusing on this vulnerable group. Data were collected through searching articles covering national and international studies using databases such as Science Direct, ProQuest, and local journals based on relevant keywords. The present review showed that post-disaster nutrition interventions for toddlers in Indonesia include various forms, including the distribution of ready-to-eat food, locally-based complementary foods (MP-ASI, makanan pendamping air susu ibu), micronutrient supplementation, and providing educational services for caregivers. Several key factors can reduce the effectiveness of emergency nutrition programs, including limited infrastructure, limited trained human resources, funding constraints, and weak inter-agency coordination. In addition, efforts are needed to ensure the sustainability of post-disaster nutrition assistance programs through a multidimensional approach involving integration into public health services, policy and budget support from the government, community empowerment, and collaboration with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In summary, while short-term nutritional interventions for toddlers in post-disaster contexts can significantly reduce malnutrition rates, addressing sustainability is vital to prevent future risks as support diminishes. This can be achieved through enhanced integration into public health frameworks, robust policy support, and community capacity building.