Food Sanitation Hygiene Behavior and its Relationship With the Incidence of Stunting

Abstract

Stunting is a linear growth delay caused by the accumulation of nutritional insufficiency over a long period. Influencing factors include maternal hygiene behavior related to nutrition and the incidence of food-related infections. This research aimed to determine the relationship between food sanitation hygiene behavior and the incidence of stunting in infants. This was an observational study with a cross-sectional design. The research subjects included 65 mothers and their toddlers aged 24-59 months. The Home Food Safety Questionnaire was used to measure food sanitation hygiene, and heights were measured with a microtoise. Data analysis was conducted using Spearman Rank. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between the behavior of sanitation hygiene and the incidence of stunting (p = 0.04). It is important to take into account other factors such as maternal knowledge, toddler weight history, and maternal nutrition during pregnancy. Keywords: behavior, hygiene, food sanitation, stunting, toddlers