Peer-reviewed article
INCREASED STUNTING CASES DUE TO FOOD INSECURITY AND THE NUTRITION IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Lydia Setyawati ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This literature review examines how the COVID-19 pandemic increased stunting cases in Indonesian toddlers by reducing household income and food availability. Economic disruption from the pandemic decreased families' purchasing power, leading to reduced food intake and malnutrition in young children. Malnutrition in early childhood impairs physical growth, cognitive development, and increases disease risks later in life. The study recommends food diversification, supplementary feeding, breastfeeding support, and nutrition education as responses.
Key points
- COVID-19 reduced parents' income and household purchasing power, affecting food availability for families
- Malnutrition in early childhood affects physical and psychological growth, neurodevelopment, cognitive function, and increases risk of chronic diseases in adulthood
- The pandemic disrupted food sovereignty and food security across the country
- Recommended interventions include food diversification, supplementary feeding for under-fives, nutrition education, and promotion of exclusive breastfeeding
- Stunting cases increased due to the combined effects of food insecurity and malnutrition during the pandemic
Limitations
This is a literature review without primary data collection, so it cannot establish direct causal links between COVID-19 and stunting or quantify the magnitude of impact in Indonesia. The document does not provide specific prevalence data or compare stunting rates before and after the pandemic.
Abstract
Covid-19 around the world, including in Indonesia, has harmed the community's economic system, including the decline in people's income. This has an impact on people's purchasing power which leads to a lack of food availability in the family, causing reduced food intake, poor nutrition, and health problems. The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the increase in the number of stunting cases due to food insecurity and malnutrition in toddlers. The results of a literature review, it shows that the Covid-19 pandemic has an impact on parents' income and has an impact on meeting family needs, especially the fulfillment of nutrition for toddlers. Children who are malnourished from an early age can affect their physical and psychological growth and development, decrease neurodevelopmental and cognitive functions, and increase the risk of chronic diseases in adulthood. The disruption of growth and physical and psychological development of these children affects the number of stunting cases. Covid-19 not only has an impact on social, economic, and cultural conditions but also has an impact on food sovereignty. Food security as the basis for realizing a prosperous society requires maximum contribution from all stakeholders and the community. Efforts to achieve food security and nutrition improvement are encouraged, among others, by food diversification, supplementary feeding for children under five years old, nutrition education efforts to increase exclusive breastfeeding, baby and child feeding, and promotion of balanced nutrition guidelines.