Peer-reviewed article
Stunting: a multisector challenges and unfinished nutrition agenda
Elvina Karyadi ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001Stunting affects nearly 31 percent of Indonesian children under 5 years old, representing about 8 million children according to 2018 data. While stunting rates have declined from 37.2 percent in 2013, they remain unacceptably high and are part of a broader nutrition crisis in Indonesia including wasting, anemia, and malnutrition. Children who are wasted face double the mortality risk of stunted children, and those with both conditions face even higher risk. The document notes that stunting has become a national priority, with political leaders addressing it during election campaigns.
Key points
- 30.8% of Indonesian children under 5 were stunted in 2018 (approximately 8 million children)
- Stunting prevalence declined from 37.2% in 2013 to 30.8% in 2018, but remains unacceptably high
- Indonesia faces multiple nutrition challenges: stunting, wasting (10.2%), underweight (17.7%), and anemia
- Wasted children face double the mortality risk associated with stunting
- Children with both stunting and wasting face higher risk than either condition alone
Limitations
The document presents epidemiological data and problem definition but does not evaluate any specific interventions or solutions to address stunting. It does not discuss the causes of stunting or propose evidence-based approaches to reduce it.
Abstract
It was a great news that during the President election campaign, both President and Vice President candidates addressed a stunting problem during the debate. It shows that stunting is placed as national priority of nutrition problems. Stunting is part of a wider nutrition crises in Indonesia: wasting, anemia and double-burden of malnutrition. According to the 2018 National Health Survey (RISKESDAS), 30.8 percent of Indonesian children under 5 years of age were stunted (almost 8 million children), 17.7 percent were underweight, 10.2 percent were wasted (low weight-for-height). Although the prevalence of stunting declined significantly from the 2013 (37.2%), the stunting rates remain unacceptably high. A child that is wasted faces double the risk of mortality associated with stunting. Even, a child that is both stunted and wasted faces a higher risk. Frequent episodes of wasting increase the risk of stunting.