Relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and stunting among children aged 2-5 years in Indonesia

Abstract

Introduction:Stuntingisanationalandglobalproblem that needs attention. Stunting can cause growth and development problems in children. Nutrition is an aspect that is closely related to the incidence of stunting in children. This study aimed to determine the relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and the incidence of stunting in children aged 2-5 years. Methods: This research uses a correlational analytic research method with a cross-sectional design approach. The sampling technique used is simple random sampling with the sample criteria in this study were all mothers with children aged 2-5 years, as many as 109 respondents. Measuring tools for the questionnaire sheet and the Z-Score value. Research analysis using Chi-Square test, (p-value = 0.0001 α = 0.05), p-value < α. Results: Most children were not given exclusive breastfeeding 63 % and 65.9 % of respondents experienced stunting. Exclusive breastfeeding can affect the incidence of stunting. The importance of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of a child’s age plays a critical role in the 1 000 days of a child’s birth and beyond. Conclusion: Stunting children in the future are at risk of having difficulty achieving optimal physical and cognitive development. Breast milk nutrients at each stage of lactation (colostrum, transitional and mature milk) reduce the factors that cause stunting, namely infant morbidity and lack of nutritional intake in infants.