The Association of Family Income, Birth Length, and Energy Intake with The Incidence of Stunting in Cibungbulang Sub-District

Abstract

Stunting is a developmental disorder in toddlers characterized by H/A index z-score of less than -2SD. Based on the results of SSGI 2022, the prevalence of stunting among toddlers in Bogor Regency reached 24.9 percent. This study aimed to determine the relationship between family income, birth length, and energy intake with the incidence of stunting among toddlers in Cibungbulang District. The sample was 151 toddlers aged 24 – 59 months who were selected by systematic random sampling. Intake data were collected with 24-hour food recall, stunting by measuring heights, and other data were collected by interview using questionnaires. Most of the toddlers were male (57.6%) with fathers aged >35 year (58.3%) and graduated from senior high school (34,4%) and mothers aged 21 – 35 years (70.2%) with high school diploma or its equivalent (34.4%). Most of the children-under-five had families with income below the regional minimum wage (88.1%), normal birth length (80.8%), adequate and excessive energy intake (53.6%). A total of 41.7 percent of toddlers were stunted. There were significant relationships between family income (p=0.022), birth length (p=0.040), and energy intake (p=0.040) with the incidence of stunting in toddlers (p<0.05). It can be concluded that family income, birth length, and energy intake are related to the incidence of stunting in toddlers aged 24 – 59 months in Cibungbulang District. Maternal nutrition intake needs to be monitored carefully during pregnancy and home food gardening program should be promoted to increase food availability and income thus ensuring optimal children development.