A Study in Stunting Locus Villages: Analysis of Determinants and Implications for Stunting in ChildrenUnder Five

Abstract

Background: Geographical disparities contribute significantly to stunting cases in rural districts in Indonesia. Stunting intervention efforts are often delayed because the main causal factors are not previously known. Objectives: This study aims to analyze the determinants of stunting prevalence in children under five in stunting locus villages. Method: The study employed a correlational analysis with a cross-sectional design. The study population consisted of all children under five and their families in 13 locus villages of stunting in the UPTD Trawas Community Health Centers area of Mojokerto Regency, totaling 1.756 people. Sampling used proportional cluster sampling with a total of 326 people. Data were obtained through questionnaires, and stunting prevalence was measured by the Height for Age Z-score (HAZ). Bivariate analysis employed the ChiSquare

test, and multivariate analysis utilized multiple logistic regression. Results: There is a relationship between nutritional intake (P 0.026), maternal education (P 0.037), parenting (P 0.035), and infectious diseases (P 0.042) with the prevalence of stunting in children under five in stunting locus villages. Nutritional intake is the dominant variable influencing stunting in stunting locus villages. Meanwhile, age, gender, breastfeeding, birth weight, birth history, utilization of health facilities during pregnancy, immunization, family income, and number of family members are confounding variables. Children under five with poor nutritional intake are 14 times more likely (AOR 14,357) to be stunted compared to children under five with good nutritional intake after being controlled by the variables of parenting, history of infectious diseases, and maternal education. There is an interaction between food intake and parenting (P 0.020). Conclusion: Efforts to address stunting should focus on improving nutritional intake for children under five, while considering the quality of parenting patterns provided to them.