Nutritional Status, Nutritional Knowledge and Mental Health Among Indonesian Migrant Workers in Taiwan

The Relationship of Nutritional Knowledge and Nutritional Status Screening With Incidence of Mental Health Among Indonesian Live-in Home Care Migrant Workers in Taiwan

The goal of this observational study is to understand more about the nutritional knowledge, nutritional status, and mental health conditions (depression, anxiety, and stress) of Indonesian live-in domestic migrant workers in Taiwan.

Participants must be 20 years or older and currently working and living in their employer's home. They will be asked to fill out a set of simple surveys, either online or on paper. These surveys will include questions about nutrition knowledge, food intake, and mental health.

The main goal is to find out how common malnutrition and emotional stress are in this group. The study will also look at how nutrition knowledge and food habits are connected to mental well-being. The results may help create better health programs for migrant care workers in the future.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Nutritional Status; Mental Health; Migrant Domestic Workers

Detailed Description

Many Indonesian move to Taiwan to work as live-in domestic caregivers. They live in their employer's home and take care of older adults or people with health problems. Because of their long working hours, limited free time, and living conditions, it may be difficult for them to eat healthy food or take care of their mental health.

This study will look at three things:

1. What these workers know about nutrition.
2. Their nutritional status (whether they are underweight, overweight, or well-nourished).
3. Their mental health, especially feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress.

To join the study, participants must be:

• Indonesian migrant workers
• Age 20 or older
• Living in their employer's home and providing informal caregiving

They will complete a group of short surveys, either online or in person. These surveys include questions about their nutrition knowledge, food choices in the past 24 hours, and their emotional health. The tools used are:

• CGN2LQ (a nutrition knowledge questionnaire)
• MNA-SF (a nutrition screening tool)
• DASS-21 (to measure depression, anxiety, and stress)
• 24-hour food recall (to record what they ate)

If participants meet the researchers in person, their body measurements will also be taken, including height, weight, body fat, and BMI.

The purpose of this research is to learn how common malnutrition and mental health problems are in this group, and how their background, eating habits, and knowledge affect their health. The findings can help design better nutrition and mental health programs tailored to migrant caregivers in Taiwan and similar settings.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 277

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Suh Ching Yang; Phone Number: 6564 886227361661; Email: sokei@tmu.edu.tw
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Herlin Ajeng Nurrahma; Phone Number: 886902427294; Email: da07111004@tmu.edu.tw

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

This study will include Indonesian live-in domestic migrant workers residing in Taiwan who are engaged in informal caregiving roles, such as elderly care or support for individuals with disabilities. Eligible participants will be 20 years old or older, able to read and understand the Indonesian language, and willing to complete a self-administered questionnaire. Both online and in-person recruitment strategies will be used to reach participants through migrant community groups, religious gatherings, and personal networks.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Indonesian Migrant Worker that Live in Employee Home
• Aged 20 years or older
• Able to read the Indonesian version of the questionnaire
• Involved in the informal care of patients
• Willing to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Workers with pre-existing severe mental health conditions.
• Workers unwilling to provide informed consent.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Prevalence of Malnutrition among Indonesian Domestic Migrant Workers in Taiwan	This outcome measures the proportion of participants classified as malnourished, at risk of malnutrition, or normal nutritional status, based on the Mini Nutritional Assessment - Short Form (MNA-SF). The scores will be collected once via structured questionnaire during a single cross-sectional data collection phase (online or in-person).	1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Nutritional Knowledge Score among Indonesian Domestic Migrant Workers	This outcome evaluates participants' nutritional knowledge using the Comprehensive General Nutrition and Nutrition Label Questionnaire (CGN2LQ). Scores are categorized into low, moderate, and high levels based on predefined cutoffs. The data will be collected once using the questionnaire.	1 year
Mental Health Status (Depression, Anxiety, Stress) among Indonesian Domestic Migrant Workers	This outcome assesses the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). Scores are classified into normal, mild, moderate, severe, and extremely severe. Data will be collected once via structured questionnaire during the study period (online or in-person).	1 year
Association Between Nutritional Knowledge, Mental Health, and Nutritional Status	This outcome investigates the relationships between participants' nutritional knowledge, mental health conditions (depression, anxiety, stress), and their nutritional status. Data will be analyzed using statistical models such as Chi-square and ordinal logistic regression to determine significant associations and predictors. All data are collected cross-sectionally.	1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Taipei Medical University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): April 30, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 21, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 21, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 1, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 26, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Depression; Quality of life; Mental health; Nutritional status; Taiwan; Migrant domestic workers; Indonesian workers; Live-in caregivers
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Personal Satisfaction; Depression; Psychological Well-Being
• Other Study ID Numbers: N202506071

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No