ABSTRAK
Kasus gizi buruk masih menjadi masalah kesehatan masyarakat yang perludilakukan penanganan yang serius. Posyandu merupakan sarana surveillance yangbaik utamanya dalam mencegah terjadinya kasus gizi buruk. Penelitian inimembahas hubungan pengetahuan ibu, pemanfaatan Posyandu dan faktor lainnyaterhadap status gizi balita di wilayah kerja Puskesmas Bromo Medan tahun 2011.Desain non eksperimen dengan cross sectional. Status gizi diukur berdasarkanantropometri indeks BB/TB rujukan WHO-2005. Hasil penelitian menunjukkansebagian besar balita gizi normal (91%). Hasil uji chi square menunjukkan adanyahubungan bermakna antara pengetahuan ibu (OR : 12.515dan 95% CI : 1.475-106.177), pendidikan ibu, pendapatan keluarga dengan status gizi balita (P value<0.05). Tidak ada hubungan bermakna antara pekerjaan ibu, jumlah anak,pemanfaatan Posyandu, jenis kelamin, riwayat penyakit infeksi, urutan lahirdengan status gizi balita. Disarankan peningkatan pemantauan dan penangananmasalah gizi pada balita, peningkatan pengetahuan masyarakat melalui promosikesehatan, peningkatan kerjasama lintas sektoral dalam penanganan masalah gizibalita.

---

ABSTRACT
The case of under nutrition is still a public health problem which needs tobe taken care of seriously. Posyandu is a good surveillance facility, especially inpreventing the incidence of under nutrition. The relation of mothers’ knowledge,the utilization of Posyandu and other factors with the nutritional status of underfive children at the working area of Puskesmas Bromo, Medan 2011 was beingstudied in this research. The design of the study was non experimental by crosssectional. Nutritional status was measured by anthropometric index BB/TBaccording to WHO-2005 standard. The result of the research found that almost allthe nutritional status of under five children was normal (91 %). The result of Chisquare showed that there was significant relation between mothers’ knowledge(OR : 12.515 and 95% CI : 1.475-106.177), mothers’education, family incomeand under five nutritional status (P value <0.05). There was no significant relationbetween mothers’ working status, the amount of children, the utilization ofPosyandu, sex, history of infectious diseases, birth order with under fivenutritional status. The recommendation of the study was to improve theknowledge of the community by health promotion, increasing cross sectoralcollaboration in handling under five nutritional problems.