Locally Produced Soy Milk for Maternal Nutrition in Rural Grobogan, Indonesia:  A Quasi-Experimental Study

Sri Untari; Rosdiana Syakur; Rahmawati Rahmawati; Sutiyono Sutiyono

Sri Untari Departemen of Midwifery, An Nuur University, Purwodadi, Central Java, Postal Code 58112, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4461-308X
Rosdiana Syakur Departemen of Midwifery, An Nuur University, Purwodadi, Central Java, Postal Code 58112, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8610-0042
Rahmawati Rahmawati Department of Nursing, An Nuur University, Purwodadi, Central Java, Postal Code 58112, Indonesia
Sutiyono Sutiyono Department of Nursing, An Nuur University, Purwodadi, Central Java, Postal Code 58112, Indonesia

Keywords: Chronic energy deficiency, Local food intervention, Maternal nutrition, Pregnancy, Soy milk

Abstract

Background: Maternal undernutrition remains an important public health issue in rural Indonesia, with limited access to commercial maternal milk potentially contributing to chronic energy deficiency during pregnancy. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of locally produced soy milk in improving maternal nutritional status compared with commercial maternal milk.

Method: A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test parallel-group design was used among 66 pregnant women in Grobogan, Central Java from July to August 2025, who were equally allocated to intervention and control groups. The intervention group received 200 mL/day of soy milk, whereas the control group received an equal amount of commercial maternal milk for four weeks. Nutritional status was assessed using body mass index (BMI) and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). Data were analysed using paired t-tests.

Results: Both groups showed significant improvements in BMI and MUAC (p < 0.05). BMI increased by 0.63 ± 1.54 kg/m² in the intervention group and 0.81 ± 1.04 kg/m² in the control group, while MUAC increased by 0.92 ± 0.49 cm and 0.94 ± 0.58 cm, respectively. Although the control group showed slightly greater increases, the improvements in BMI and MUAC were comparable between the two groups.

Conclusion: Overall, the study demonstrates that locally produced soy milk improves maternal nutritional status comparably to commercial maternal milk. Qualitative observations further highlight the importance of adherence, family support, and community health worker involvement in supporting the effectiveness of the intervention. Adherence exceeded 80%, mild nausea was reported by a small number of participants, and no participants withdrew because of side effects.