Background: The pathogenesis of orofacial cleft (OFC) is multifactorial, involving both genetic and non-genetic factors, the latter of which play a key role in the development of these anomalies. This paper addresses the incidence of OFC in Indonesia, with a focus on identifying and examining the distribution of contributory factors, including parental medical history, pregnancy history, and environmental influences. Methods: The study was conducted through the collection of primary data. An interdisciplinary research team from Indonesia administered a standardized questionnaire to parents who had children with OFC and who had provided informed consent. The case group comprised 133 children born with cleft lip and/or palate, and the control was 133 noncleft children born full-term. The risk factors associated with OFC anomalies were analyzed using the chi-square test and logistic regression. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 25. A p-value of 0.05 or less was considered to indicate statistical significance. Results: The study comprised 138 children, of whom 82 were boys (59.4%) and 56 were girls (40.6%). Among them, 45 patients (32.6%) presented with both cleft lip and cleft palate, 25 individuals (18.1%) had a cleft palate only, and 28 patients (20.3%) had a cleft lip only. OFC was found to be significantly associated with a maternal family history of congenital birth defects (p< 0.05), complications during the first trimester (p< 0.05), consumption of local fish (p< 0.05), caffeine intake (p< 0.05), prolonged medication use (p< 0.05), immunization history (p< 0.05), passive smoking (p< 0.05), and X-ray exposure during pregnancy (p< 0.05). Conclusion The findings indicate close relationships between the incidence of OFC and maternal medical history, prenatal factors, and environmental influences.

This study aimed to analyze the associations of maternal characteristics and nutritional status of primary caregivers with the occurrence of stunting in children aged 6 – 59 months from rural agricultural households in Indonesia. This study used a sequential explanatory mixed method design. It started with a cross-sectional survey, followed by a qualitative study to explore community perceptions related to findings from the quantitative analysis. The survey involved 200 mother and child dyads. multiple logistic regression was carried out with the dependent variable being the incidence of stunting in children, and maternal characteristics as independent variables. Data analysis showed that WDDS and the maternal length of education in years were significant predictors for the incidence of stunting in children. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for WDDS was 0.78 (95% CI 0.63 - 0.98), while for the length of education of mothers was 1.22 (95% CI 1.01 - 1.48). We also conducted a qualitative study to explore food distribution and utilization within the household. Qualitative data analysis showed that, except for pregnant mothers, “good food” was prioritized the least for mothers. The persistent barriers for utilization of quality and diverse food are access to such food rather than knowledge of what is considered “good food for health”. Increasing access and consumption of diverse foods for all mothers beyond pregnancies is an important factor for preventing stunting in Indonesian children from rural agricultural households.