Medicinus : Jurnal Kedokteran
Vol. 13 No. 2 (2024): February

The Relationship Between Parental Knowledge, Attitudes, and Preventive Efforts Toward the Risk of Diabetes Mellitus in Overweight and Obese Elementary School Children

Priyantika, Afifah (Unknown)
Farah, Fransiska (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
01 Feb 2024

Abstract

Background: Childhood obesity is a growing public health problem globally, strongly linked to the early onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In Indonesia, the prevalence of obesity in children aged 5–12 years has reached 9.2%, with higher rates in urban areas. Parental knowledge, attitudes, and preventive efforts are considered important determinants in shaping children’s lifestyle behaviors and may influence their risk of T2DM. Methods: This study employed a descriptive-analytic cross-sectional design at SDN Jelambar 08, including parents and students from grades 1 to 6. A purposive sampling method was used, resulting in 190 respondents. Independent variables were parental knowledge, attitudes, and preventive efforts, while dependent variables included risk of T2DM and overweight/obesity status. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires for parents and anthropometric measurements for children. Data analysis was performed with SPSS, using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Results: The study showed that 63.7% of parents were aware of diabetes risk factors, 71.1% demonstrated good attitudes, and 74.2% reported preventive efforts. Of the 190 children, 29.5% were classified as overweight or obese. Chi-square tests revealed no statistically significant association between parental knowledge (p=0.911), attitudes (p=0.140), or preventive efforts (p=0.872) and children’s diabetes risk in the context of overweight and obesity. Conclusions: Parental knowledge, attitudes, and preventive efforts were not significantly related to the risk of diabetes mellitus in overweight and obese children. A multifactorial approach that combines parental education, school-based programs, and pediatric monitoring is needed to address childhood obesity and prevent diabetes onset.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

Medicinus : Jurnal Kedokteran

Publisher

Subject

Medicine & Pharmacology Public Health

Description

Medicinus: Jurnal Kedokteran is an official journal of the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Pelita Harapan launched in the year 2007. Medicinus is a peer-reviewed and open-access journal that covers basic, translational, or clinical aspects of health and medical science. Medicinus accepts original ...