Demographic and infectious profiles of stunted children under five in Central Java: Evidence from the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey

Abstract

Stunting remains a persistent child nutrition challenge in Indonesia, yet updated regional evidence is needed to clarify the demographic and infection-related profile of affected children. This study described sex, residence, diarrhea history, and acute respiratory infection among stunted children under five in Central Java. A quantitative descriptive study with a cross-sectional approach was conducted using secondary data from the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey (Survei Kesehatan Indonesia, SKI 2023). The final analytical sample comprised 6,142 stunted children under five selected from SKI 2023 records after restricting the dataset to children under five in Central Java who met the stunting criterion. Variables were processed using univariate statistics and presented as frequencies and percentages. Male children accounted for 51% of stunted cases, while female children accounted for 49%, indicating a slight male predominance. Most stunted children lived in urban areas (74.6%), whereas 25.4% lived in rural areas, challenging the conventional rural-centered framing of stunting. Diarrhea was reported in 4.4% of children, and acute respiratory infection in 6.6%. These results suggest that stunting in Central Java intersects with biological, environmental, and infectious vulnerabilities, particularly in urban settings. Urban-focused, sex-sensitive, and infection-preventive strategies are needed to strengthen targeted stunting reduction and child health policy. Bivariate analysis showed that diarrhea history was significantly associated with acute respiratory infection among stunted children (p < 0.001).