Factors related to stunting among children age 6-59 months in babakan madang sub-district, West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Stunting is a category of malnutrition that can cause death for children. In 2018, 30.8% of children under five in Indonesia experienced stunting. This study aimed to determine the factors that are related to stunting in Babakan Madang sub district, West Java, Indonesia. A cross sectional study was carried out among 612 children aged 6–59 months on May–August 2019. Z-scores were calculated using WHO Anthro. The characteristics of the under-fives (sex, age, history of infectious diseases), maternal characteristics (education level, mother’s occupation, income per month, age during pregnancy, parity), and infant feeding practices (colostrum feeding, early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding, pre-lacteal feeding, timely complementary feeding) were analysed. The results of univariate and bivariate analysis using Chi-square showed that for age over 24 months, nonexclusive breastfeeding and untimely complementary feeding were related to stunting. It is recommended that local governments conduct counselling and make positive approaches to the community emphasizing the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and timely complementary feeding.