Social Economic Status and Stunting in Toddler

Abstract

— Stunting is a chronic malnutrition problem which can be evaluated by taking body measurements of height. Stunting is not only about short stature problem, but it is about bigger problems, namely cognitive and motor development problems in children. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between socio-economic status with the prevalence of stunting among children under five years old. This was a quantitative descriptive study using a cross sectional approach with a total of 105 respondents. The data analysis was univariate and bivariate analysis using chi-square. The results of the study showed that the indicator of social status related to the prevalence of stunting is maternal education level. Other factors related to stunting include child's age and history of exclusive breastfeeding. The recommendations from this research are to promote the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and to improve parents’ ability in providing and selecting nutritious food to prevent stunting or to catch up with the developmental milestones, especially in the case of stunting.