Quality assurance for increasing growth monitoring and promotion (GMP) performance

Abstract

Background Measuring body weight of under-five children is one
of the Family Nutritional Improvement Program or Usaha
Perbaikan Gizi Keluarga (UPGK) activities which was integrated
in Integrated Health Post (Posyandu) activities. Growth
monitoring and promotion (GMP) has been used as the main
component of the health and nutritional program in several
developing countries. Unfortunately, this activity did not run as
expected. This study aimed to understand how quality assurance/
total quality management (QA/TQM) influence the performance
of the GMP.
Methods This 6 month operational research included 76 Posyandus
in four subdistricts of Jogyakarta Province. The results of the
Posyandus’s GMP score performance were used as a basis to
improve the performance for the next consecutive months with
QA system. Data were transformed as a score index. Student’s t-
test was used to analyze the data.
Results The quality assurance could increase the performance of
GMP, which was done in Posyandus intervention group for 3
consecutive months. The baseline scores for both groups were
0.47±0.12 vs 0.42±0.17 (P=0.302), at the second month
monitoring: 0.58±0.07 vs 0.42±0.16, for the intervention group
(P<0.001). The mothers’ index (percentage of the children under
five attendance and mothers who brought KMS at weighing
session), however, did not significantly change.
Conclusion Total quality management increased the general
performance of Posyandus, but the program could not influence
the mothers’ index.