Infectious diseases such as diarrhea and Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) lead to loss of appetite in children and stunting growth.

A new study published in the Journal of Public Health Research analyzed the relationship between the incidence of stunting and the frequency/duration of diarrhea and ARI in children under five years.

Here, the stratified random sampling method was used to obtain data from 152 children in four villages in Surabaya, East Java.

The findings suggested that children under the age of five, experience higher stunting duration and longer frequency of diarrhea. Whereas, the Rho Spearmen Test showed differences in the incidence of stunting with the frequency of diarrhea – P = 0.005 (P<α = 0.05), P = 0.003 (P<α = 0.05), with ARI of P =0.001 (P<α = 0.05).

Hence, it was concluded that stunting is related to the frequency and duration of diarrheal diseases and ARI. Hence, community-integrated health center should conduct counseling activities for children less than five years, to determine their health status.

Source: Journal of Public Health Research.2020 Jul 2;9(2):1816. doi: 10.4081/jphr.2020.1816. eCollection 2020 Jul 3.