The effect of complementary food combinations on stunted children aged 6 months and over: a cross sectional study

Background: Complementary feeding practice, starting from when children are 6 months old, is one of the associated factors of stunted growth.

Objectives: To assess the correlation between complementary food combinations, mothers’ occupation, basic immunisation history, birth weight and stunted growth.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Karangroto village, Central Java, Indonesia in November 2019. Data were collected using infant's weight and length/height and stunting was determined using WHO Child Growth Standards. Independent variable data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Bivariate analysis was performed using Chi-Squared and Fisher’s exact test whilst multivariate analysis used logistic regression.

Result: Of the total 117 respondents, 24.8% were categorised as stunted and 37.3% children who did not receive different food combinations were categorised as stunted. Bivariate analysis found that stunting in children is related to unvaried food combinations (p=0.001, OR 6.845; 95% CI 2.199, 21.304), incomplete basic immunisations based on age (p=0.028, OR 2.951; 95% CI 1.211, 7.191) and low birth weight (p=0.032, OR 3.344; 95% CI 1.150, 9.720). Logistic regression showed that children who did not receive different food combinations were at a higher risk of experiencing stunting (p<0.001, OR 12.355; 95% CI 3.139, 48.629).

Conclusions: In this study stunting in children was significantly related to unvaried food combinations, incomplete basic immunisations based on age and low birth weight according to bivariate analysis. However, logistic regression showed that children who did not receive different food combinations were at a higher risk of stunting.

Sri Lanka Journal of Child health, 2021; 50(3): 465-471