Risk factors of stunting in Indonesian children aged 1 to 60 months

Abstract

Background The Indonesian province of Aceh has a high prevalence of stunting. Identifying risk factors for stunting may help prevention efforts. The Growth Diagrams of Indonesian Children are a specific tool to diagnose stunting in Indonesian pediatric populations. Objective To determine the risk factors of stunting in children aged 1-60 months using the Growth Diagrams of Indonesian Children. Methods This observational, analytic study with case-control design was conducted in the Lawe Alas District, Southeast Aceh, Indonesia to compare prior risk factors exposure between stunted children (cases) and non-stunted children (controls) from January-April 2018. Subjects were children aged 1-60 months and recruited by consecutive sampling. Results The subjects comprised 97 cases and 97 controls, totaling 194 subjects, internal risk factors of stunting were short birth length (OR 2.87; 95%CI 1.24 to 6.61; P=0.011), inadequate calorie intake (OR 2.37; 95%CI 1.32 to 4.27; P=0.004), non-exclusive breastfeeding (OR 3.64; 95%CI 2.01 to 6.61; P4 family members (OR 1.23; 95%CI 0.69 to 2.17; P=0.469). Regression analysis showed that the dominant risk factor of stunting was chronic diarrhea (OR 5.41; 95%CI 2.20 to 13.29; P<0.001). Conclusion The history of chronic diarrhea and non-exclusive breastfeeding are the main risk factors of childhood stunting.

Keywords

• stunting
• growth diagrams of indonesian children
• risk factors