The association between parental height and stunting in children aged 10-13 years in Jimbaran, Badung Regency

Abstract

Background: Parental height is one of the factors influencing a child's growth. During the growth period, a child's growth is significantly influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Parental height is one of the factors associated with the occurrence of stunting in children. This study aimed to determine the relationship between parental height and stunting in children aged 10-13 years in Jimbaran, Badung Regency. Methods: This was a cross-sectional research. Data were collected from primary sources, and a questionnaire was distributed consisting of three main sections covering the characteristics of the research sample, father's height, and mother's height. The sample was taken from children aged 10 to 13 years in Jimbaran, Badung Regency. Comparative categorical Chi-square analysis conducted with the independent variables being the height of the father and mother, and the dependent variable being stunting. Results: A total of 189 children meeting the inclusion criteria participated in this study. The analysis of the correlation test between maternal height and child height resulted in a low correlation with a correlation coefficient of 0.25. This study also indicates that among all respondents experiencing stunting, 14.3% of respondents have a father's height of less than 165cm (p-value > 0.01, 95% CI: 0.20-3.60). Furthermore, among all respondents experiencing stunting, 21.4% of respondents have a mother's height of less than 155cm (p-value > 0.01, 95% CI: 0.46-5.26). Conclusion: Parental height does not have a statistically significant relationship with the occurrence of stunting in children aged 10-13 years.