Understanding the Difference Between Stunting and Stunted: Not Just Short Stature
Many parents still believe that all children with short stature are suffering from nutritional disorders. However, medically speaking, there is a fundamental difference between the conditions of stunting and simply having a short body or being stunted.
Paediatric specialist Dr Ian Suryadi Suteja, M.Med Sc, Sp.A, breaks down the significant differences between the two.
According to Ian, the main distinguishing factor lies in the cause and the child’s nutritional intake.
Ian explains that stunting is the result of chronic malnutrition that occurs over a long period. This condition is usually triggered by insufficient food intake or accompanying illnesses that drain the child’s energy.
As a result of this nutritional deficiency, the child’s height becomes lower than the average for children of the same age.
Ian emphasises that in stunting, the body fails to allocate nutrients for growth because it must focus on health recovery efforts.
“The nutrition is not sufficient; it’s not used to increase weight and height but instead for the illness. So it’s related to the nutrition that enters and how the body utilises its energy,” said the doctor who graduated from Gadjah Mada University (UGM).
On the other hand, the condition of being stunted or having a short body does not always relate to nutritional problems. Factors outside of diet play an important role in this condition.
“Stunted is related to possibly genetics, both parents are short, there might be hormonal disorders, there might be certain syndromes that make them short, but that is not related to nutrition,” he further explained.
Considering that stunting remains a serious health challenge in Indonesia, Ian reminds parents not to be complacent. The best prevention is through early detection by diligently monitoring the child’s growth curve from birth.
This step is important so that growth deviations can be detected before they become more severe problems. He advises parents to routinely consult medical professionals, especially during the golden period of child growth.
“The way we address stunting is by monitoring the growth curve, which is important. Every month, still go to the paediatrician until one year old, along with vaccinations, check growth and development,” Ian concluded.
Through a proper understanding of this difference, it is hoped that parents can be more proactive in meeting their child’s nutritional needs and routinely checking their child’s physical condition to prevent the risk of permanent growth disorders in the future.