Peer-reviewed article
The Relationship Between Child Gender and Maternal Knowledge With the Incidence of Stunting in Toddlers
Usi Lanita ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined factors associated with stunting (poor height for age) in Indonesian toddlers. Researchers surveyed 73 mothers and measured 73 children, finding that child gender was not significantly associated with stunting. However, maternal knowledge about nutrition and health was significantly associated with stunting, with mothers having low knowledge more likely to have stunted children. The authors recommend nutrition education programs and health counseling to reduce stunting.
Key points
- No significant association found between child gender and stunting incidence (p > 0.05)
- Significant relationship found between maternal knowledge and stunting incidence (p < 0.05)
- Mothers with low knowledge levels were at greater risk of having stunted children
- Stunting affects not only physical growth but also cognitive development and future productivity
- Study recommends ongoing nutrition education and health counseling at community health centers
Limitations
The study used a cross-sectional design with a small sample of 73 respondents, which cannot establish causality or demonstrate whether maternal knowledge changes lead to changes in stunting. The study does not measure other known stunting risk factors such as household income, sanitation, or infection rates.
Abstract
Stunting is a chronic nutritional problem in toddlers that remains a global concern, including in Indonesia. This condition is characterized by height that is not appropriate for age due to long-term malnutrition, repeated infections, and environmental and social factors. The impact of stunting not only affects physical growth but also cognitive development, future productivity, and increases the risk of degenerative diseases in adulthood. Various factors contribute to stunting, including biological factors such as the child's gender and behavioral factors such as maternal knowledge about nutrition and health. This study aims to analyze the relationship between child gender and maternal knowledge and the incidence of stunting in toddlers. The research design used a quantitative cross-sectional approach. A sample of 73 respondents was selected using a stratified proportional sampling technique. Data collection was conducted through structured interviews using questionnaires and anthropometric measurements of toddlers. Data analysis was performed using univariate analysis to describe frequency distributions, and bivariate analysis using the chi-square test with a 95% confidence level. The results showed no significant association between child gender and stunting (p > 0.05). This indicates that biological factors such as gender are not the primary determinant of stunting in the study area. Conversely, there was a significant relationship between maternal knowledge and the incidence of stunting in toddlers (p < 0.05), indicating that mothers with low levels of knowledge are at greater risk of having stunted children. These findings emphasize the importance of improving maternal knowledge through ongoing nutrition education programs, health counseling, and promotive-preventive activities at community health centers. These interventions are expected to prevent stunting and other health problems in toddlers and support the achievement of the national stunting reduction target.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Nutrition education programs and health counseling to improve maternal knowledge
- Population
- Mothers with toddlers in Indonesia
Key finding
Child gender showed no significant association with stunting (p > 0.05)