BACKGROUND: Childhood stunting is the most widely prevalent among under-five children in Ethiopia. Despite the individual-level factors of childhood stunting are well documented, community-level factors have not been given much attention in the country. This study aimed to identify individual- and community-level factors associated with stunting among under-five children in Ethiopia. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey was used. A total of 8855 under-five children and 640 community clusters were included in the current analysis. A multilevel logistic regression model was used at 5% level of significance to determine the individual- and community-level factors associated with childhood stunting. RESULTS: The prevalence of stunting was found to be 38.39% in Ethiopian under-five children. The study showed that the percentage change in variance of the full model accounted for about 53.6% in odds of childhood stunting across the communities. At individual-level, ages of the child above 12 months, male gender, small size of the child at birth, children from poor households, low maternal education, and being multiple birth had significantly increased the odds of childhood stunting. At community-level, children from communities of Amhara, Tigray, and Benishangul more suffer from childhood stunting as compared to Addis Ababa's community children. Similarly, children from Muslim, Orthodox and other traditional religion followers had higher log odds of stunting relative to children of the protestant community. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed individual- and community-level factors determined childhood stunting in Ethiopian children. Promotion of girl education, improving the economic status of households, improving maternal nutrition, improving age-specific child feeding practices, nutritional care of low birth weight babies, promotion of context-specific child feeding practices and narrowing rural-urban disparities are recommended.
K. Fantay Gebru, W. Mekonnen Haileselassie, Haftom Temesgen Abebe et al.
Undernutrition is a major public health problem for under 5 years of age children in India. Approximately 41% and 21% of under 5 years of age children are stunted and wasted respectively. Despite the known importance of age appropriate infant and young child feeding practices for child nutrition, the rates of these practices remain poor in India. The major determinants for inappropriate IYCF practices are beliefs and knowledge of parents and caregivers. These can be effectively addressed through counselling by mobile Health technology as mobile phones are widely available and have a high penetration across the country. This formative research explored the perceptions of caregivers regarding infant feeding practices, feasibility of mobile phone for counselling and targeted messaging to mothers on appropriate infant feeding. We conducted in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The data were translated, transcribed and analysed using a thematic approach. We found that rural households have at least one mobile phone with good network connectivity. Utilizing mobile phones for counselling was found to be acceptable in the community, provided that the advice given is affordable, tailored to their cultural beliefs and socio-economic status.
Samreen Sadaf Khan, Archana A. Patel, Amrita Puranik et al.
Despite India's steady economic growth over recent the period, the burden of childhood malnutrition persists, contributing to higher neonatal and infant mortality. There is limited evidence available to contextualise mothers' crucial role in childcare practices and health status in the Indian context. This study attempts to assess the association between maternal autonomy and the nutritional status of children under five. We used samples of 38,685 mother-child pairs from the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), conducted in 2015-16. We considered three widely used indicators of child nutrition as outcome variables: stunting, wasting, and underweight. Maternal autonomy (measured from three dimensions: household decision-making, freedom of physical movement, and access to economic resources/control over assets) was the key predictor variable, and various child demographics, maternal, and household characteristics were considered control variables. Stepwise binary logistic regression models were performed to examine the association. Of study participants, 38%, 21%, and 35% of children were stunted, wasted, and underweight, respectively. Our results (models 1 to 4) indicate that mothers with greater autonomy were significantly associated with lower odds of malnourished children. After controlling for all potential confounding variables (in model 5), maternal autonomy had a statistically insignificant association with children's stunting (Odds ratio [OR]: 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.87, 1.00) and wasting (OR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.85, 1.00). However, a significant relationship (though marginally) was retained with underweight (OR: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.88, 0.99). In addition, socio-demographic characteristics such as child age, birth order, maternal education, maternal BMI, place of residence and household wealth quintile were found to be strong predictors of child nutritional status. Future policies should not only inform women's empowerment programmes but also emphasise effective interventions toward improving female educational attainment and nutritional status of women, as well as addressing socioeconomic inequalities in order to combat the persistent burden of childhood malnutrition in India.
Stunting prevention focuses on addressing the causes of nutritional problems, namely factors related to food security, especially access to nutritious food, social environment related to infant and child feeding practices (parenting), access to health services for prevention and treatment, environmental health including the availability of clean water and sanitation facilities. The objective of this study is to examine the influence of maternal BMI during pregnancy and caregiving practices on the occurrence of stunting in toddlers aged 24 to 26 months. This research employs an analytical research design using a cross-sectional approach, and statistical testing is done using the Chi Square test with a significance level of 0.05. The sample consists of 87 toddlers, selected through purposive sampling. Research findings: maternal nutritional status during pregnancy with a p-value of 0.702 (? > 0.05), exclusive breastfeeding history with p=0.001 (? < 0.05). Conclusion: maternal nutritional status during pregnancy does not have a significant effect on stunting incidence. However, parenting practices significantly affect stunting incidence in toddlers aged 24-60 months in the working area of Primary Health Care Jangka Buya.
Indonesia has quite a serious nutritional problem which is characterized by many cases of malnutrition. Malnutrition is an impact of nutritional status. Stunting is a condition of malnutrition that is related to past nutritional deficiencies, so it is a chronic nutritional problem. Many factors can cause stunting in toddlers, such as toddler characteristics and socio-economic factors. Community outreach activities are carried out with the aim of providing education to the public regarding the risk factors for stunting and its prevention. This counseling was carried out in order to increase the knowledge of the residents of Sawidago Village, especially mothers, because the mother is the person who is always with the child from pregnancy to 24 months of age. So that the baby's development will continue to be assisted by the mother. Counseling is provided using an interactive lecture method through posters and distribution of leaflets as well as social service. The effectiveness of the extension was tested by administering a partner satisfaction questionnaire with the activities carried out. The results of activity observations showed that Partners were satisfied with the outreach activities carried out.
Niluh Puspita Dewi, Mariyani Mariyani, Syafika Alaydrus et al.
Introduction: Stunting is a national problem in Indonesia due to an imbalance in children's nutritional intake. Diversity in balanced food consumption is one of the efforts to prevent stunting. Objectives: Exploring the potential of various types of food ingredients, utilization, equipment, capabilities, and expectations of the community in utilizing local food to fulfill stunting children's nutrition. Methods: Qualitative studies use a phenomenological approach. Research informants 15 people. Data were collected through Focus Group Discussion activities. ATLAS.Ti22 software is used to analyze data from focus group discussions. Results: It was found that the theme of ability and expectation has the highest co-occurrence value of 0.76, meaning that hope is very strongly related to the ability of the community. The theme of ability and availability of food ingredients has a co-occurrence value of 0.58, meaning that the ability to process local food ingredients is strongly related to the availability of food ingredients. Utilization and ability co-occurrence value of 0.16 means that the use of local food ingredients is weakly related to the ability to process food. Conclusion: Diversity in food consumption is related to food availability, utilization, and ability to process food. Suggestion: local food processing assistance is needed for the stunting target group to increase the community's ability to process local food. Inter-agency collaboration is needed in specific nutrition intervention programs by utilizing local food ingredients.
Juliandi Harahap, Tri Niswati Utami, Eliska Eliska et al.
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.
Christiane Scheffler, Michael Hermanussen, Sugi Deny Pranoto Soegianto et al.
Latar Belakang: Stunting tetap menjadi tantangan kesehatan global utama, terutama di negara berkembang, yang memengaruhi pertumbuhan fisik dan perkembangan kognitif. Meskipun intervensi konvensional telah ada, pertumbuhan pesat teknologi digital menawarkan peluang baru untuk penyampaian informasi kesehatan melalui mHealth dan platform media sosial.Tujuan: Studi ini bertujuan u Background: Stunting remains a critical global public health challenge requiring innovative and scalable solutions. The rapid development of digital technologies offers a promising approach to strengthening nutrition communication and health promotion. However, systematic evidence specifically examining the role of digital nutrition information in supporting stunting prevention remains fragmented. Objective: This study aimed to systematically evaluate the role of digital nutrition information access in supporting stunting prevention. Design: Systematic Literature Review (SLR) conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD402612345). Data Sources: Electronic databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Garuda. Literature search was conducted in January 2026 for studies published between 2016 and 2026. Review A total of 300 records were identified. After duplicate removal, title/abstract screening, and full-text eligibility assessment, 13 original research articles met the inclusion criteria. Methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Tools and Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2). Findings were synthesized using a narrative synthesis because of heterogeneity across interventions and outcomes. Results: Thirteen studies evaluated various digital interventions including mobile applications (38.5%), educational videos (23.1%), online learning platforms (15.4%), SMS (15.4%), and social media campaigns (7.6%). Eleven studies reported significant improvements in maternal nutrition knowledge, ten demonstrated improved complementary feeding practices, and eight showed protective effects against growth faltering. Mobile application interventions were associated with a 22% reduction in stunting risk (RR = 0.78). Conclusion: Digital nutrition information has the potential to contribute to stunting prevention by improving maternal nutrition literacy and optimal child-feeding practices. However, digital interventions should complement—not replace—comprehensive multisectoral public health strategies and investments in digital infrastructure to reduce inequities in access and achieve sustainable improvements in child growth. ntuk menganalisis peran akses informasi gizi digital dalam mengurangi stunting melalui tinjauan literatur sistematis.Metode: Tinjauan Literatur Sistematis dilakukan mengikuti pedoman PRISMA. Pencarian literatur dilakukan pada tahun 2026 di seluruh basis data PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, dan Garuda untuk artikel yang diterbitkan antara tahun 2016 dan 2026. Kriteria inklusi meliputi penelitian asli yang berfokus pada intervensi gizi digital dan hasil stunting. Data dari lima belas artikel terpilih dianalisis menggunakan sintesis naratif deskriptif dan pendekatan tematik.Hasil: Tinjauan tersebut mengidentifikasi berbagai intervensi digital, termasuk aplikasi seluler (40%), video pendidikan (20%), pendidikan daring (20%), layanan pesan singkat (10%), dan kampanye digital (10%). Tiga belas studi melaporkan peningkatan signifikan dalam pengetahuan gizi ibu. Sebelas studi menunjukkan peningkatan praktik pemberian makan anak. Yang terpenting, delapan studi menunjukkan korelasi signifikan antara intervensi digital dan pengurangan risiko stunting. Misalnya, penggunaan aplikasi seluler dikaitkan dengan risiko relatif 0,78 untuk stunting. Temuan utama menunjukkan bahwa akses digital meningkatkan literasi gizi dan perubahan perilaku dalam praktik pemberian makanan pendamping.Kesimpulan: Akses ke informasi gizi digital secara efektif meningkatkan literasi gizi dan memperbaiki perilaku pemberian makan, berkontribusi pada pengurangan stunting. Namun, teknologi digital bukanlah solusi tunggal dan harus diintegrasikan dengan pendekatan multisektoral dan infrastruktur yang memadai untuk mencapai hasil pertumbuhan yang optimal.Kata kunci: Stunting, Informasi Digital, Pengetahuan Ibu, mHealth, Literasi Gizi.
Background: Stunting remains a major public health challenge with long-term consequences for the quality of human resources in Indonesia. Stunting prevention requires early detection through routine child growth monitoring conducted at Integrated Health Service Posts (Posyandu). Objective: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between knowledge and motivation and the role of Posyandu cadres in child growth monitoring as an early detection strategy for stunting in the service area of Graha Indah Public Health Center, North Balikpapan. Methods: A descriptive analytical study with a cross-sectional design was conducted. A total of 79 active Posyandu cadres were purposively selected as the study sample. Data were collected using structured questionnaires that had been tested for validity and reliability and were analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation test. Results: The results showed that Posyandu cadres generally had good levels of knowledge and motivation and performed their roles optimally. A strong and statistically significant relationship was found between motivation and the role of cadres (p=0,001), whereas knowledge was not significantly associated with cadre roles (p=0,650). Conclusion: These findings indicate that motivation is a key factor in optimizing the role of Posyandu cadres in child growth monitoring. This study recommends strengthening cadre motivation through continuous training, intensive supervision, and performance-based incentive systems to enhance the effectiveness of early stunting detection at the community level.
Eli Rahmawati, Ernani Setyawati, Nuurwahidah Nuurwahidah et al.
BACKGROUND: Despite increased economic growth and development, and existence of various policies and interventions aimed at improving food security and nutrition, majority of countries in sub-Saharan Africa have very high levels of child malnutrition. The prevalence of stunting, an indicator of chronic malnutrition, is especially high. METHODS: In this paper, we use Demographic and Health Survey datasets from three countries in the region that obtained middle-income status over the last decade (Ghana, Kenya and Zambia), to provide a comparative quantitative assessment of stunting levels, and examine patterns in stunting inequalities between 2007 and 2014. RESULTS: Our analyses reveal that stunting rates decreased in all three countries over the study period, but are still high. In Zambia, 40% of under 5-year olds are stunted, compared to 26% in Kenya and 19% in Ghana. In all three countries, male children and those living in the poorest households have significantly higher levels of stunting. We also observe stark inequalities across socio-economic status, and show that these inequalities have increased over time. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal that even with economic gains at the national level, there is need for continued focus on improving the socio-economic levels of the poorest households, if child nutritional outcomes are to improve.
Coretta Maame Panyin Jonah, Winnie Sambu, Julian Douglas May
