Fulfilment of minimum acceptable diet (MAD), short birth length and family income level are associated with stunting in children aged 6-23 months in Central Jakarta

Abstract

Introduction: Stunting is a condition characterised by retardation in the growth and development of children as a result of chronic inadequate nutritional intake and/or recurrent infectious diseases. This research aims to determine the factors related to stunting occurrence among children aged 6-23 months. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in 2019. The sample was 231 children selected by multistage random sampling technique from 13 Posyandu (integrated healthcare centres) in six administrative villages located across three sub-districts of the Central Jakarta region. Results: The results showed that the prevalence of stunting was 26.0% and minimum acceptable diet (MAD) was only met by 31.6% of the children studied. Chi-square analysis revealed that short birth length (OR=2.176; 95% CI: 1.155–4.098) and family income level (OR=0.388; 95% CI: 0.201–0.749) were significantly associated with stunting. Logistic regression showed that fulfilment of MAD, short birth length (OR=0.471; 95% CI: 0.244–0.909), and family income (OR=0.387; 95% CI: 0.197–0.759) were significant factors for stunting among children 6-23 months in Central Jakarta in 2019, with fulfilment of MAD as a dominant factor (OR=3.29; 95% CI: 1.171–9.241). Conclusion: More efforts need to be done to achieve the recommended MAD for all children aged between 6-23 months and to prevent short birth length. Large scale studies to explore the role of MAD in reducing stunting and qualitative studies to identify the constraints and promoting factors to better infant and young child feeding practices are imperative for programme improvement.