Stunted toddlers had lower hair zinc level compared to their normal peers: Result from a case control study in nganjuk

Abstract

Stunting is highly prevalent, including in Indonesia. Zinc intake and zinc status contribute to the etiology of stunting. However, zinc status measurement is not easy. Hair zinc level reflects long term exposure to zinc. This study aimed to analyze the difference in hair zinc level of stunted toddlers as compared to normal toddlers. This case-control study was conducted in Nganjuk with 23 stunted toddlers and 23 normal toddlers selected using simple random sampling. Hair zinc level was measured using atomic absorption spec-trometry conducted at the Center of Research and Industrial Consultation Laboratory, Surabaya. The inclusion criteria for this study were children aged 24–59 mo, lived in Pusk-esmas Wilangan work-areas, and had uncoloured hair with minimum length of 1.5 cmthe list of respondents gathered from EPPGBM website, where it provides list of informations consist of data of malnutrition children. The study revealed that mean hair zinc level among stunted toddlers were 146.21±16.83 mg/L while the hair zinc level among the normal toddlers were 157.07±23.11 mg/L. There was significant difference in hair zinc level between stunted toddlers compared to their normal peers. Conclusions: Hair zinc level was associated with stunting and can be considered as biomarker for stunting.