Peer-reviewed article
Stunting as a Synonym of Social Disadvantage and Poor Parental Education
Christiane Scheffler, Michael Hermanussen, Sugi Deny Pranoto Soegianto, A. V. Homalessy, S. Y. Touw et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study measured 723 schoolchildren aged 5-14 years in three schools of different social backgrounds in Kupang, Indonesia to understand the relationship between stunting, nutrition, and social disadvantage. Stunting prevalence ranged from 8.5% to 46.8% depending on school type, but clinical signs of malnutrition were absent even among the most underprivileged children. The study found that stunting in disadvantaged children was not associated with poor nutrition status or delayed physical development, and instead suggests stunting may be a marker of social disadvantage and poor parental education rather than a direct result of malnutrition.
Key points
- Stunting prevalence ranged from 8.5% to 46.8% across three schools with different socioeconomic backgrounds
- No clinical signs of malnutrition were observed even in the most underprivileged children studied
- Underprivileged children showed better physical fitness than wealthy children
- Correlation between height and nutrition indicators (BMI, skinfold, MUAC) was weak in underprivileged children (r=0.07 to 0.32) compared to affluent children (r=0.43 to 0.69)
- Maternal education showed the same correlation with child height in both affluent and underprivileged groups (r=0.20)
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional study in one city in Indonesia, so findings may not generalise to other settings or countries. The study does not establish causation and cannot determine whether social disadvantage or parental education directly causes stunting, or whether other unmeasured factors are responsible.
Abstract
Socially, economically, politically and emotionally (SEPE) disadvantaged children are shorter than children from affluent background. In view of previous work on the lack of association between nutrition and child growth, we performed a study in urban schoolchildren. We measured 723 children (5.83 to 13.83 years); Kupang, Indonesia; three schools with different social background. We investigated anthropometric data, clinical signs of malnutrition, physical fitness, parental education, and household equipment. Subjective self-confidence was assessed by the MacArthur test. The prevalence of stunting was between 8.5% and 46.8%. Clinical signs of under- or malnutrition were absent even in the most underprivileged children. There was no delay in tooth eruption. Underprivileged children are physically fitter than the wealthy. The correlation between height and state of nutrition (BMI_SDS, skinfold_SDS, MUAC_SDS) ranged between r = 0.69 (p < 0.01) and r = 0.43 (p < 0.01) in private school children, and between r = 0.07 (ns) and r = 0.32 (p < 0.01) in the underprivileged children. Maternal education interacted with height in affluent (r = 0.20, p < 0.01) and in underprivileged children (r = 0.20, p < 0.01). The shortness of SEPE disadvantaged children was not associated with anthropometric and clinical signs of malnutrition, nor with delay in physical development. Stunting is a complex phenomenon and may be considered a synonym of social disadvantage and poor parental education.