Comparison of the children’s stature in West Papua, Indonesia

< 0.05). The percentage of severely stunted children was higher in girls (2.96%) than in boys (0.82%). In contrast, the prevalence of stunting was higher in boys (15.16%) than in girls (5.92%). Some stunted children were also classified as normal weight, overweight, or obese. Our findings indicate that short stature may reflect a combination of biological, environmental, and nutritional influences. Therefore, the use of body height alone as a reference for determining malnutrition should be approached cautiously, with consideration of alternative approaches and the biocultural characteristics of the local community.