Household Wealth and Childhood Stunting in Indonesia: Evidence from the 2024 Indonesian Nutritional Status Survey
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36568/jone.v4i1.760Keywords:
Childhood Stunting, Household Wealth, Social Determinant, Indonesia, SSGI 2024Abstract
Socioeconomic inequalities continue to shape childhood stunting distribution in Indonesia, yet nationally representative evidence from the post-pandemic context remains scarce. This analytical cross-sectional study examined the association between household wealth and childhood stunting among 164,215 children aged 24–59 months using data from the 2024 Indonesian Nutritional Status Survey (SSGI). Household wealth was measured using the SSGI wealth index, categorized into quintiles, and stunting was defined as height-for-age z-score <−2 SD. All analyses accounted for the complex survey design, including sampling weights, clustering, and stratification, and use survey-weighted Poisson regression to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs). The stunting prevalence was 18.6%, with children from the poorest households having more than twice the prevalence compared with the richest (aPR = 2.035; 95% CI: 1.92–2.16). Low maternal education, rural residence, low birth weight, incomplete immunization, inadequate antenatal care, unimproved sanitation, unsafe drinking water, history of infection, and maternal unemployment were also independently associated with stunting. Household wealth demonstrated the strongest socioeconomic association with childhood stunting, underscoring persistent inequalities. As one of the first nationally representative analyses using the 2024 SSGI, this study provides updated evidence for equity-oriented strategies addressing socioeconomic disparities while strengthening maternal and child health services. Due to the cross-sectional design, findings should be interpreted as associations rather than causal relationships.
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