Dietary intake and stunting in children aged 6-23 months in rural Sumba, Indonesia

Abstract

Background Linear growth retardation in the first two years of life leads to numerous harmful consequences. Lack of diversity in the diet and inadequate amounts of complementary food have been associated with stunted growth in children.
 Objective To assess the dietary intake and investigate for associations with stunting among children aged 6-23 months.
 Methods This case-control study compared the dietary intake of children aged 6-23 months with and without stunting in the South and West Wewewa subdistricts of Southwest Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Complementary food types, dietary diversity, and nutritional intake were assessed and compared between groups. Nutrient intake sufficiency and stunting were analyzed by logistic regression.
 Results A total of 200 participants were equally allocated into groups with and without stunting. Only 6% of stunted children received adequate complementary food diversity compared to 14% of non-stunted children (P=0.05). The stunted group had significantly lower consumption of flesh foods (beef, fish, poultry, organ meat, and other kinds of meat) compared to the non-stunted group (7% vs. 16% of subjects, respectively; P<0.05). The median total protein intake was also significantly lower in stunted children compared to non-stunted children [7.72 (IQR 6.46, 11.31) g vs. 10.02 (IQR 6.53, 13.95) g, respectively; P<0.05] although no association was found between protein intake sufficiency and stunting in the multivariate analysis. Only maternal unemployment was positively associated with stunting (OR 2.32; 95%CI 1.26 to 4.26).
 Conclusion Overall, most subjects did not receive sufficient amounts of nutrients. Although dietary diversity was not found to be significantly different between those with and without stunting, a significantly lower proportion of stunted children consumed flesh food. The stunted group also received significantly lower protein from their diet although no association was found between nutrient intake sufficiency and stunting. Further studies are needed to longitudinally assess the effects of macronutrient and micronutrient intake sufficiency on linear growth in children.

Nutrient intake and stunting in children aged 2-5 years in a slum area of Jakarta

“…Although studies on the relationship between nutrient intake and stunting have differing results, children whose nutritional needs are not met over a long period will likely experience malnutrition. 8,9,12 In our study, the intake of energy and macronutrients was significantly lower in the stunted group than in the non-stunted group.…”

“…11 Studies on macronutrient intake have shown an inconclusive relationship with the incidence of stunting. 12,13 Slum areas go hand in hand with low income and nutritional problems in children. However, several studies in various Indonesian regions reported that there are many children with normal nutritional status in areas with low incomes.…”

Determinants of HAZ score in children under five in Glagah, Lamongan, Indonesia: A SEM-PLS analysis

“…Another study also suggested no significant effect of protein intake on HAZ scores in subjects in the rural area of Sumba (p = 0.06) (Limardi et al, 2022).…”

Faktor Kejadian Stunting Pada Balita

“…10 Penelitian juga menunjukkan bahwa sumber makanan hewani dapat mencegah kejadian stunting pada anak karena protein hewani berperan dalam mengoptimalkan pertumbuhan dan perkembangan sel-sel organ tubuh dengan baik, memperbaiki sel tubuh yang mengalami kerusakan, dan meningkatkan daya tahan tubuh. 16,30 Cara pemberian makan yang tepat juga berpengaruh terhadap asupan nutrisi pada anak. Memberikan makanan dengan cara yang terlalu mengekang dapat membuat anak trauma dan menolak makan, sedangkan memberikan makanan dengan cara yang terlalu memanjakan juga dapat menyebabkan anak menolak makan.…”