Stunting IN TODDLERS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN KENDARI CITY, SOUTHEAST SULAWESI, INDONESIA

Abstrak

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on aspects of health and the global economy, including the adequacy of nutrition for children. Stunting becomes more vulnerable in toddlers as a secondary impact of socioeconomic conditions, access to health services, education, and nutrition during the pandemic. Objective: This study aims to assess the condition of stunting in toddlers during the COVID-19 pandemic and the relationship between age and the incidence of stunting in toddlers. Methods: This research is a descriptive analytic study with a cross sectional design involving 226 children under five in the city of Kendari, Indonesia, which was conducted in August-September 2021. Characteristic data were collected using questionnaires while anthropometric data were collected through body length and height measurements. Results: A total of 22 toddlers (9,7%) experienced stunting where most of them were under 2 years old (86.4%) with male gender (63,6%). There is a significant relationship between age and the incidence of stunting in children under five in the city of Kendari (p 0,05). Conclusion: Toddlers aged less than 2 years are very vulnerable to stunting during the COVID-19 pandemic. This shows the importance of efforts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, which specifically focuses on nutritional health and child growth and development