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The Impact of Stunting: More Than Just a Height Issue

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Dampak Stunting: Lebih Dari Sekedar Masalah Tinggi Badan

Stunting has become a scourge for Indonesia's future generations. Stunting is not only a matter of a short body, but also of the potential of children who are prevented from realizing their big dreams. The golden period, or the first thousand days of life, is a critical time that determines a child's future. Understanding the importance of this period is the first step in creating a superior generation in the future.


What is stunting?

Stunting is a condition of stunted growth (body and brain growth) in children due to long-term malnutrition, causing children to be shorter than normal for their age and to have delays in thinking. Long-term malnutrition occurs from the fetus in the womb to the beginning of the child's life (first 1000 days of birth). (Ministry of Health, 2018)


The World Health Organization (2020) clarifies that stunting is a condition in which a child has a length or height that is less than -2 standard deviations (SD) for age on the WHO growth curve. This condition results from irreversible growth failure, usually caused by inadequate nutrition and recurrent or chronic infections.


Dampak Stunting: Lebih Dari Sekedar Masalah Tinggi Badan

Factors

Stunting in Indonesia is not simply a problem of malnutrition, but a complex issue influenced by multiple social, economic and health factors. Here are some of the factors that underlie stunting, including:


  • Inadequate caloric intake:

    • Socio-economic factors (poverty)

    • Low education and knowledge of infant and young child feeding practices (adequacy of breast milk)

    • Role of animal protein in complementary feeding

    • Neglect

    • Cultural influences

    • Availability of local foods


  • Increased need:

    • Congenital Heart Disease

    • Cow's milk allergy

    • Low birth weight (LBW) babies

    • Congenital metabolic disorders

    • Chronic infections due to poor personal and environmental hygiene (chronic diarrhea) and vaccine preventable diseases (tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis and measles).


Other factors that cause stunting include maternal infections, teenage pregnancy, maternal mental disorders, small birth spacing, and high blood pressure. In addition, low access to health services, including access to sanitation and clean water, is one of the factors that greatly affects child growth.


Dampak Stunting: Lebih Dari Sekedar Masalah Tinggi Badan

The impact of stunting on children

Stunting is not just about a child's body being shorter than their age, but also about the long-term effects that threaten their future. According to WHO, these effects include


  • Increased risk of mortality and morbidity

    Based on data analysis, the risk of mortality (death) increases more than 12-fold in children who are stunted, underweight and thin. Meanwhile, one study found that stunted children have a 2.5 times higher risk of morbidity than normal young children.


  • Low Cognitive Ability

    This condition affects neurodevelopmental disorders and synaptic (neurological) dysfunction, resulting in developmental delays in children. Children who are stunted tend to have more difficulty concentrating on learning and understanding subject matter in school.


  • Risk of chronic disease in adulthood

    Stunted children tend to gain weight rapidly after 2 years, putting them at risk for obesity later in life, which can lead to insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia.


  • Reproductive health disorders

    The effects of stunting in adolescence include the risk of obstetric (gynecological) complications; therefore, stunted girls are more likely to experience obstructed labor as adults.


  • Low productivity

    Low child productivity is caused by impaired brain development and cognitive function due to childhood stunting.


Dampak Stunting: Lebih Dari Sekedar Masalah Tinggi Badan

Stunting Prevention

Preventing stunting at an early age is key to building a healthy and productive generation of Indonesians. By implementing the right preventive measures, we can break the stunting cycle and ensure that every Indonesian child has the opportunity to grow and develop optimally. Here are the things that need to be considered and implemented to prevent stunting:


  • Meeting the nutritional needs of pregnant women and monitoring their health

  • Exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months of age and complementary feeding (MPASI) of sufficient quantity and quality after 6 months of age.

  • Monitoring the growth of young children in Posyandu is a very strategic effort to detect early onset of growth disorders.

  • Improving access to clean water and sanitation and maintaining environmental hygiene

 

Stunting is a bigger threat than just a height issue. Its complex impact on children's health, education and quality of life requires concrete action from all elements of society. The first thousand days of a child's life are a golden period that determines the child's future. From pregnancy to age two, this period lays the foundation for physical growth, brain development and overall health. By improving parenting, ensuring access to adequate nutrition and raising awareness, together we can protect future generations of children from the long-term effects of stunting. Have a regular medical check-up especially for expectant mothers and pregnant women at K-LAB Medical Center to know your health status.

  

Source 

Kemenkes – Mengenal Apa Itu Stunting 

Kemenkes – Stunting dan Pencegahannya 

WHO – Child malnutrition: Stunting among children under 5 years of age 

WHO – Stunted Growth and Development: Context, Causes and Conseuences 

Pediatrics and International Child Health – The Stunting Syndrome in Developing Countries 



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