The impact of the inaccuracy measurement of anthropometry by posyandu cadres on the classification of stunting of children under five years old

Abstract

Background:The ability of integrated service post(posyandu) cadres in measuring the anthropometry of children in Indonesia greatly determines the success of early detection and monitoring of toddler stunting in the community.Aims:This study aims to determine the impact of inaccurate anthropometric measurements by posyandu cadres on the classification of toddler stunting.Settings and Design:This was an explanatory study with a cross-sectional design. The research location was in Demak Regency, Indonesia. The number of samples was 452 posyandu cadresMethods and Material: Each cadre and supervisor measured the same length and height of 10 children. The children involved were 945 children under 2 years of age and 943 children aged 2-5 years. Statistical analysis used:Analysis of research data using descriptive and difference test. Results:This study found that most posyandu cadres measured height and length with poor accuracy and precision according to the WHO category. Less than one-fifth of cadres were able to measure the child's height and length accurately, and about one-third of cadres were able to measure the child's height and length precisely.The study also found that the cadres' ability to measure body length was lower than that of measuring height.The percentage of children detected with stunting from the results of body length measurements by cadres was 6.6% lower than the results measured by supervisors.Conclusions:The low ability of cadres in measuring length and height can cause inaccurate detection of stunting in children.