<![CDATA[Child undernutrition remains a public health concern in rural Indonesia, highlighting the need for locally available food-based interventions. Cassava is a potential local food, however, evidence the effectiveness of cassava-based products in improving the nutritional status of children remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate changes in nutritional status among children aged 12-59 months receiving cassava-based nuggets. This quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study compared anthropometric changes in 90 children who received cassava-based or wheat-flour-based nuggets (45 per group), at 100 g/day for four weeks. Weight-for-age (WAZ) and height-for-age (HAZ) Z-scores were assessed before and after supplementation. WAZ improved in both groups. The Mann–Whitney U test showed a significant difference in the distribution of WAZ change scores between groups (U = 661, p = 0.005), although the arithmetic mean change was numerically larger in the wheat-flour control group. After correction of one confirmed height-entry error and recalculation using WHO Child Growth Standards, mean HAZ changes were 0.10 ± 0.45 in the cassava group and 0.08 ± 0.17 in the control group, with no significant between-group difference (U = 865, p = 0.236). These findings support further evaluation of cassava-based nuggets as a locally adapted supplementary food but do not establish superiority in mean WAZ change or an effect on short-term linear growth.]]>
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