Risk Factors of Stunting in Developing Countries: A Scoping Review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Stunting remains a nutritional problem in children in Indonesia and some other developing countries. It has become a public health problem that must be taken seriously and continuously. Although there was an improvement in 2018, the incidence of stunting in Indonesia is still quite high (36.4%), compared to other Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia (20%) and Thailand (10.5%). In the world, Indonesia occupies the 17th position of 117 countries for the stunting incidence. AIM: This study aims to describe the risk factors of stunting in children under five in developing countries. METHODS: This research is a scoping review. The sources were drawn from multiple databases such as Ebsco, PubMed, ProQuest, and Science Direct with the keyword “stunting” AND “risk factors” AND “developing countries.” Inclusion criteria include the research must be related to the risk factors of stunting, should be conducted in developing countries, should be full texted in English, and published in 2015–2019. RESULTS: The search of databases found 3605 articles, with the details of 10 articles from Ebsco, 45 articles from PubMed, 20 articles from ProQuest, and 3530 articles from Science Direct. According to all the databases, only 9 articles were reviewed that met the inclusion criteria of this study. CONCLUSION: Parent factors, toddler factors, and environmental factors are risk factors of stunting in children under five.