This cross-sectional study aims to explore factors related to child happiness, focusing more to parents' involvements. Pre-defined metro cities (Medan, Jakarta and Makassar), and its two-tier cities (Balige-Toba, Cirebon and Makale-Tanatoraja) were selected to represent urban and rural. A 296 apparently healthy children aged 2-5 years old and their parents were recruited in March-April 2018. Child happiness and its related factors (nutritional status, child appetite, quality of sleep, child bonding and care, mothers and fathers), were assessed by using standard measures and validated questionnaires. Chi-square test, unpaired-t and / or Mann-Whitney test, and Principal Component Analyzes were applied. The study found 10% and 12% of children were not feeling every day and/or almost every day. However, the perfect score of children-mothers bonding and good score of children-father bonding were found when they were doing together activities. Nutritional status of the children was 9% underweight, 12% stunted and 5% wasted. The average of appetite score was 7.4 (range 0-10) and 12% of the children experienced suspected and/or sleep disturbance. Factors associates for child happiness were mothers’ effort to make child feeling happy/energetic (mothers’ perspective), and child enjoyed school activities and having quality time and bonding together with parents (fathers’ perspective). Child happiness relates to many important factors including maternal and paternal factors to support child potential growth and development.

MATERNAL AND PATERNAL FACTORS RELATED TO CHILD HAPPINESS IN SELECTED URBAN AND RURAL AREAS OF INDONESIA