What is it about?
Stunting, or impaired growth in early childhood, remains a major health challenge in Indonesia. We analyzed data from more than 78,000 children under five years old using the 2023 Indonesia Health Survey to explore how social and environmental factors contribute to stunting. We found that children without complete immunization, from poorer families, or living in areas with unsafe water and limited resources particularly in eastern Indonesia were more likely to experience stunted growth.
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Why is it important?
We show that social and environmental factors such as family income, access to clean water, immunization, and regional location significantly influence stunting in Indonesian children under five. This is important because it highlights that improving child growth requires more than nutrition alone. By focusing on broader social and environmental conditions, policymakers and health programs can better target interventions, reduce regional inequalities, and accelerate progress toward Indonesia’s national stunting reduction targets and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Perspectives
Writing this article has been an eye-opening experience for me. Working with such a large national dataset made me realize how complex and interconnected the factors behind childhood stunting are not just nutrition, but also social, environmental, and regional disparities. I hope this study encourages policymakers, health workers, and communities to think more holistically about child growth, and inspires future research and interventions that truly address the root causes of stunting in Indonesia.
Mr Ferry Efendi
Universitas Airlangga
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Social and Environmental Determinants of Childhood Stunting in Indonesia: National Cross-Sectional Study, JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting, October 2025, JMIR Publications Inc.,
DOI: 10.2196/68918.
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