Peer-reviewed article
Influence of family and child demographic characteristics on the incidence of stunting
Balgis Balgis, Anak Agung Alit Kirti Estuti Narendra Putri, Widana Primaningtyas, Khansa Firyallely Paramesti ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined why some children in Surakarta, Indonesia become stunted while others do not. Researchers compared 38 stunted children with 38 non-stunted children aged 2–5 years, collecting information from families about their circumstances. The analysis found that a child's risk of stunting was strongly linked to whether their mother worked and how much money the family earned.
Key points
- Maternal occupation significantly influenced stunting incidence (p=0.047 in bivariate analysis)
- Family income significantly influenced stunting incidence (p=0.002 in bivariate analysis)
- Both maternal occupation and family income remained associated with stunting in multivariate analysis (p=0.005)
- The study recommends nutritional assistance for toddlers from low-income families as a prevention strategy
- Stunting cases in Surakarta ranked fourth lowest in Central Java, but the city aims for zero stunting
Limitations
This is an observational case-control study without intervention, so it identifies associations between family characteristics and stunting but cannot establish causation or test whether changing these factors would reduce stunting. The study does not explore the mechanisms through which maternal occupation and income influence nutritional status.
Abstract
Background: Stunting cases in Surakarta ranked fourth lowest in Central Java. However, the stunting target in Surakarta is zero. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the influence of maternal and child demographic factors on the incidence of stunting at the Gilingan Surakarta Community Health Center. Methods: This research method used analytical observations with a case-control research design. The research subjects were obtained using a simple random sampling method consisting of 38 stunted toddlers and 38 non-stunted toddlers aged 24-59 months at Gilingan Surakarta Community Health Center. Data collection was done by distributing questionnaires to respondents. The statistical test used for bivariate analysis is the chi-square, and multivariate analysis uses multiple logistic regression. Results: Bivariate analysis showed that maternal occupation (p=0.047) and family income (p=0.002) influenced the incidence of stunting. Multivariate analysis then found that maternal occupation and family income were associated with the incidence of stunting (p=0.005). Conclusion: The conclusion in this study was that mothers' occupation and family income significantly influence the incidence of stunting. Therefore, there is a need for assistance in the form of additional food for toddlers from underprivileged families to meet their nutritional needs so that stunting can be prevented.