Mothers^ Knowledge Regarding Stunting and The Incident Of Stunting In Children Aged 6-24 Months At The Kampung Baru Community Health Centre In Medan City
Erni Rukmana, Yatty Destani Sandy, Muhammad Edwin Fransiari, Latifah Rahman Nurfazriah

Universitas Negeri Medan

Abstract

This study aims to assess mothers^ knowledge regarding stunting and its correlation with the incidence of stunting in children aged 6-24 months at the Kampung Baru Community Health Centre in Medan City. Stunting is a significant public health issue that affects children^s growth and development, with long-term consequences on their health and cognitive abilities. The study employed a cross-sectional design, involving a sample of 60 mothers whose children fall within the specified age range. Data were collected using structured questionnaires to evaluate the mothers^ knowledge about stunting, including its causes, consequences, and preventive measures. The incidence of stunting was determined through the measurement of children^s height-for-age z-scores, in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
The results showed that 43.3% of mothers had good knowledge, 41.7% had moderate knowledge, and 15% had inadequate knowledge regarding stunting. Regarding the children^s height status, 86.7% were classified as normal, 8.3% as short, 3.3% as very short, and 1.7% as tall. The prevalence of stunting, defined as short and very short height for age, was found to be 11.7%. A significant correlation was observed between maternal knowledge and the incidence of stunting, with children of mothers with inadequate knowledge showing a higher prevalence of stunting. These findings underscore the need for educational interventions to improve maternal knowledge and awareness of stunting prevention, which could contribute to reducing the prevalence of stunting in children. This study highlights the critical role of maternal education in combating stunting and improving child health outcomes.

Keywords: knowledge, stunting, children 6-24 month

Topic: Social Science, Linguistics, Foreign Language and Humanities