Determinant Factors of Stunting in Under-Five Children

BACKGROUND: The high rate of stunting cases is a serious nutritious problem that still persists in Indonesia. The problem is potentially impactful on the quality of the country’s human resources. AIM: This present study aimed to analyze the determinant factors of stunting cases in 24–59-month-old children in the working area of Puskesmas or Community Health Center in Kota Tengah, Gorontalo. METHOD: The case-control survey analytical research involved a case population of 34 people and a control population of 34 people. All the participants were 24–59 months old. All case populations were treated as the research subject, while the control population was calculated based on the formula. A simple random sampling technique was employed to acquire the sample in the control group. The study involved independent variables of birth length, birth weight, provision of exclusive breastfeeding, and the number of siblings. Meanwhile, the dependent variable was the stunting cases in 24–59-month-old children. The data were analyzed by Chi-square (χ2) and multiple logistic regression statistical tests. RESULTS: The bivariate analysis that used the Chi-square suggested that the birth length (0.001) < (0.05), birth weight (0.003) < (0.05), and provision of exclusive breastfeeding (0.000) < (0.05) were the factors of stunting cases. Meanwhile, parity (1.72) > (0.05) was not a factor of stunting. Moreover, the multivariate analysis involving multiple logistic regression tests indicated that the provision of exclusive breastfeeding (0.006) served as the determinant factor of stunting cases. CONCLUSIONS: The provision of exclusive breastfeeding is the most significant determinant factor of stunting cases.