History of exclusive breastfeeding, and stunting among toddlers in West Java, Indonesia

Background: Nutritional problems in children are one of the health problems that often occur and require more attention, one of which is stunting. One of the factors causing stunting is exclusive breastfeeding. If breast milk is not given exclusively it will increase the risk. Purpose: To determine the relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and the incidence of stunting in toddlers. Method: This research uses a correlational quantitative design with a cross sectional method using secondary data. The research was carried out in July-December 2023, conducted on mothers with toddlers (0-59 months) who lived in Sukamulya Village, Rancaekek District, Bandung Regency. The sample was selected using a total sampling technique of 140 respondents. Data analysis used univariate analysis and bivariate analysis with the Spearman's rho correlation test. Results: Almost half of the respondents had only completed junior high school namely 69 (49.3%), while almost half of the respondents' monthly income was below the city or district minimum wage namely 93 (66.5%). A total of 112 (80%) toddlers did not experience stunting and the majority of respondents 106 (75.7%) gave their toddlers exclusive breast milk (first six months). The variables exclusive breastfeeding and stunting in this study did not show a significant relationship with p value = 0.897 (>0.05). Conclusion: There is no relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and the incidence of stunting. This is not in accordance with most studies examining the relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and stunting. However, there are other aspects that may influence the occurrence of stunting but have not been studied in this study, such as family income, maternal education, average duration of illness (especially diarrhea and respiratory tract infections), birth weight, and level of energy intake. Suggestion: This research can be used as an illustration of the condition of stunted toddlers in the relevant villages so that efforts can be made to reduce the prevalence of stunting. Health services need to develop more effective programs to identify other factors that cause stunting. For future researchers to add more variables that might influence stunting.