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Nutritional status and linear growth of Indonesian infants in west java are determined more by prenatal environment

Marjanka K Schmidt1, Siti Muslimatun, Clive E West

  • 1Division of Human Nutrition and Epidemiology, Wageningen University, The Netherlands.

The Journal of Nutrition
|August 7, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Infant stunting in Indonesia is high. Neonatal length and weight, reflecting prenatal health, are key predictors of infant growth and nutritional status, more so than postnatal factors.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Nutrition Science

Background:

  • High infant stunting prevalence is a significant health issue in Indonesia.
  • Understanding prenatal and postnatal factors influencing infant growth is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the determinants of infant growth and nutritional status in rural West Java, Indonesia.
  • To assess the relative contributions of prenatal and postnatal factors to infant stunting and underweight.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal study followed newborn infants from 9 rural villages in West Java for 12-15 months.
  • Monthly assessments included weight, length, morbidity, breastfeeding, and food intake.
  • Multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate growth determinants and nutritional status (Z-scores).

Main Results:

  • Infant growth faltered between 6-7 months, leading to 24% stunting and 32% underweight at 12 months.
  • Neonatal length (beta=0.492) and weight (beta=0.285) were the strongest predictors of height-for-age and weight-for-age Z-scores, respectively.
  • Fever negatively impacted weight gain, while complementary food intake positively influenced both weight and length increases.

Conclusions:

  • Neonatal size, reflecting the prenatal environment, is the most critical determinant of infant nutritional status in this rural Indonesian population.
  • Early postnatal factors like illness and complementary feeding play a role but are secondary to initial neonatal measurements.

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