Peer-reviewed article
Effects of Stunting on Child Development: A Meta-Analysis
Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret, M.Sc Devi Usdiana Rosyidah, Yulia Lanti Retno Dewi, Isna Qadrijati ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This meta-analysis examined how stunting (low height for age due to malnutrition) affects child development in children under five. The researchers reviewed five published studies from 2010 to 2020 and combined their results. The analysis found that stunted children have more than 3.7 times higher risk of developmental problems compared to non-stunted children. The findings confirm that stunting is associated with delays in motor skills, cognitive ability, and social responses.
Key points
- Stunting increased the risk of abnormal child development with an adjusted odds ratio of 3.71 (95% CI: 2.35-5.86)
- Stunting affects the maturity of nerve cells, leading to developmental delays
- Stunted children show slow motor movements, lack of intelligence, and slow social response
- Five peer-reviewed articles from 2010-2020 were included in the analysis
- The meta-analysis used systematic review methodology with PICO framework and PRISMA guidelines
Limitations
The meta-analysis reviewed only five articles, and the document does not specify the quality assessment of included studies or discuss heterogeneity between them. It does not explain what constitutes 'abnormal development' or provide details on the age ranges, settings, or populations studied.
Abstract
Background: Stunting is a condition where children under five have a low height for their age. Stunted children under five have a nutritional deficiency (malnutrition), thus affecting the maturity of nerve cells. In addition, they are susceptible to developmental delays such as slow motor movements, lack of intelligence, and slow social response. This study aimed to analyze the effect of stunting on child development based on the results of previous studies. Subjects and Method: This study was a systematic review and a meta-analysis. The articles were searched systematically and comprehensively through several databases including Pubmed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar published from 2010 to 2020. It aimed to ensure the relevance of current findings in the health context and the possibilities for what would happen ahead. Eligibility criteria were used to select studies included in a systematic review/a metaanalysis. The researcher provided eligibility criteria using the PICO model. The population of this study was children. The intervention was stunting. The comparison was non-stunting. The outcome was child development. The article search was carried out for 2 weeks. The keywords were "Association between stunting and delayed development regression", "the effect of stunting on development", "the relationship of stunting to development", "stunting and development", "stunted and development". The articles were collected using PRISMA flow diagrams. The data were analyzed using Review Manager (RevMan) 5 software. Results: This study reviewed 5 articles. The results showed that stunting increased the risk of abnormal development in children (aOR=3.71; 95%CI=2.35 to 5.86; p=0.760). Conclusion: Stunting increases the risk of abnormal development in children. Keywords: stunting, development, child development Correspondence: Milatur Rosyidah. Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Jl. Ir. Sutami 36A, Surakarta 57126, Central Java. Email: milatur387@gmail.com. HP: 089620575849.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Not an intervention study; comparison of stunted vs. non-stunted children
- Population
- Children under five
Key finding
Stunting increased the risk of abnormal development in children (aOR=3.71; 95%CI=2.35-5.86; p=0.760)