Determinants of Stunting among Infants 0–11 Months Old in Outermost Area of Indonesia: A Follow Up Study in Sambas District, West Kalimantan

• Published in: Annals of nutrition and metabolism 2019-01, Vol.75, p.323
• Main Authors: Meiyetriani, Eflita, Sartika, Arindah Nur, Khoirunnisa, Meirina, Ermayani, Evi, Ananda, Aziz Jati Nur, Pramesthi, Indriya Laras
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Babies; Birth weight; Children; Diarrhea; Infants; Low birth weight; Maternal & child health; Metabolic disorders; Multivariate analysis; Nutrition; Pregnancy; Premature birth; Regression analysis; Weight
• ISSN: 0250-6807; 1421-9697
• DOI: 10.1159/000501751

Background/Aims: Childhood stunting remains a big concern as it is associated with sub optimal brain development, decreased future earnings, and increased risk of metabolic diseases during adult life. Sambas, one of the outermost districts in Indonesia, has high prevalence of stunting. Based on the previous formative study in 2016 among pregnant women, several maternal factors lead to poor birth outcome, thus leading to childhood stunting. The study aimed to assess factors contributing to stunting, from conception until infancy. Methods: This study was a follow-up study on pregnant women focusing on stunting in infant aged 0–11 months with 559 participants involved. The pre-natal and post-natal determinants of stunting were analyzed using multivariate analysis using logistic regression. Results: In this study, prevalence of stunting was 20.8%. Low birth weight (OR = 2.867 95% CI (1.151–7.141), p = 0.024), diarrhea (OR = 2.642 95% CI (1.3525.163), p = 0.004,) and poor knowledge on Infant Young Child Feeding (IYCF) (OR = 2.046, p = 0.041) were shown to be significantly associated with stunting. Short maternal stature (OR = 1.905 95% CI (0.971– 3.734), p = 0.061) and preterm birth (OR = 2.312 95% CI (0.886– 6.033), p = 0.087) were assumed to be the confounding factors. Furthermore, low birth weight was the factor that have strongest association with stunting. Conclusion: Both prenatal and postnatal factors were associated with stunting, hence preventive measures should take both factors into account.