Parental stature as a risk factor for stunting in Indonesia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Mazaya P. Amriviana; Cut  Khairunnisa; Teguh H. Sasongko

doi:10.52225/narra.v3i2.144

Authors

Mazaya P. Amriviana Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Malikussaleh, Lhokseumawe, Indonesia
Cut Khairunnisa Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Malikussaleh, Lhokseumawe, Indonesia
Teguh H. Sasongko Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Institute for Research, Development and Innovations, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52225/narra.v3i2.144

Keywords:

Stunting, Indonesia, parental stature, risk factor, systematic review

Abstract

Stunting is defined by height of more than two standard deviations below the World
Health Organization's (WHO) child growth standard median. It is a significant nutritional
problem in developing countries, where in 2021, Indonesia recorded a stunting prevalence
at 24.4%, slightly higher than the global prevalence (22%). Reducing the prevalence of
stunting has been the focus of the current administration in the Indonesian government,
as delineated in the 2020–2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan. Globally,
many studies have addressed parental stature as a risk factor of stunting. However,
systematic reviews that summarized and critically appraised the relationship between
parental stature and the incidence of stunting in Indonesia was scarce. This systematic
review aimed to assess parental stature as a risk factor for stunting among Indonesian
toddlers. Studies were searched through PubMed (MEDLINE), Google Scholar and
Mendeley. Studies on Indonesian toddlers under five years old living in Indonesia were
included. The quality of the included studies was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute
(JBI) critical appraisal tool. Data were extracted using a standardized data extraction form
and were analyzed using Cochrane’s RevMan 5.3. Twenty-seven prospective and
retrospective cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies were included with a total
4041 children. Out of 27 included studies, eight were found to be of low, seven of moderate
and twelve of high quality. The result showed that parental stature was associated with the
incidence of stunting among toddlers in Indonesia, either the mother only (odds ratio
(OR) 1.92; 95% confidence interval (95%CI: 1.71–2.15), the father only (OR 5.21; 95%CI:
1.71–15.86) or both parents (OR 3.01; 95%CI: 2.41–3.75). However, studies on father and
both parental statures suffered from substantial heterogeneity, imprecision and mixed
qualities, therefore, they should be cautiously interpreted.