Heti Mulyati
, Katrin Roosita, Sri Anna Marliyati, I Wayan Gede Artawan Eka Putra, Rachmalina Soerachman
Low exclusive breastfeeding rates are influenced by mul-tiple factors, including household food insecurity and inade-quate maternal nutrient intake. This study aimed to exam-ine the association between household food security,consumption habits of galactagogue foods, and perceivedbreast milk sufficiency among breastfeeding mothers of theKaili tribe in Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi. A mixed-meth-ods cross-sectional design was employed from Feb ruary toMay 2024. Qualitative data were collected through observa-tion (n = 5), in-depth interviews (n = 10, including the ob-served mothers), and focus group discussions (FGDs) with36 additional informants, including village leaders, mid-wives, health cadres, religious/community leaders, tradi-tional leaders, and traditional birth attendants—yielding atotal of 46 qualitative participants selected via purposivesampling. Quantitative data were gathered from 337 breast-feeding mothers using multistage random sampling.Findings revealed that most Kaili breastfeeding mothers fre-quently consumed galactagogue foods such as bavoa(Cleome gynandra L.), pumpkin leaves, sweet potato leaves,and banana blossom in sufficient amounts. Chi-square testsindicated a significant association (p<0.001) betweenhousehold food security, as measured by the HouseholdFood Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), and perceived breastmilk sufficiency. Additionally, the quantity of galactagoguefood consumption was significantly associated with per-ceived breastmilk sufficiency (p<0.001). The consumptionof galactagogue foods among Kaili breastfeeding mothersappears to support their perceived adequacy of breast milkand should be promoted as part of strategies to enhance ex-clusive breastfeeding practices.