Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 12, 2026
Determining Soil-transmitted Helminth Infection Status and Physical Fitness of School-aged Children
Published on: August 22, 2012
Birth interval and stunting in children under five years of age in Peru (1996-2014)
M Sobrino1, C Gutiérrez2, J Alarcón2
1Pediatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain.
Insights
A longer birth interval (over 24 months) protected Peruvian children under five from stunting. Despite overall declines, poverty and low maternal education remained key risk factors for stunting.
Area of Science:
- Child Health
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Child stunting in Peru is a significant public health concern.
- Understanding trends and risk factors is crucial for effective interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the evolution of stunting in Peruvian children under five years of age between 1996 and 2014.
- To investigate the relationship between birth interval (BI) and childhood stunting.
- To identify associated sociodemographic factors contributing to stunting.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Peruvian National Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) from 1996 to 2014.
- Analyzed stunting (height/age ≤ 2 Standard Deviations) in children under five.
- Employed logistic regression to estimate the effect of birth interval (≤24 months vs. >24 months) and other variables on stunting.
Main Results:
- Child stunting prevalence decreased from 1996 to 2014 in both short (≤24 months) and long (>24 months) birth interval groups.
- A birth interval exceeding 24 months showed a protective association with stunting in most survey years.
- Poverty, lower maternal education, and higher birth order were consistently associated with increased stunting risk.
Conclusions:
- Despite a decreasing trend in stunting, longer birth intervals demonstrate a protective effect.
- Addressing poverty, improving maternal education, and managing birth order are critical for reducing stunting in Peru.
- Continued monitoring of stunting trends and associated factors is essential.
Background:
Examine the evolution of stunting in <5 years of age in Peru and its relationship with birth interval (BI), and associated factors from 1996 to 2014.
Methods:
Data were extracted from the National Demographic and Health Survey of Peru (DHS) for the years 1996, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2014 on children <5 years of age for stunting (height / age ≤ 2DS). The main independent variable of interest was BI dichotomized by interval between date of last and penultimate birth (≤24 months vs. >24 months) and others sociodemographic variables. Crude and adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were estimated in logistic regression for the effect of BI and other variables on stunting by each survey year.
Results:
Between 1996 and 2014, stunting declined in both BI groups: ≤24 months: 35.8% to 21.8%; >24 months: 29.5% to 14.3%. BI was associated with stunting after adjustment for other variables in each survey except 2005. Of the other factors, sex, birth order (fourth child or more), maternal education and poverty were independently associated with stunting in all survey years. Residence in rural areas and in Amazon forest and highland regions was associated with stunting 1996 and 2000. Maternal age was not independently associated with stunting.
Conclusions:
While stunting showed a decreasing trend from 1996 to 2014, birth interval exceeding 24 months exerted a protective effect on stunting across the years surveyed. Poverty, low maternal education and high birth order were associated with stunting in all survey years.
Related Concept Videos
01:10Nature and Nurture
00:57Population Growth
01:29Environmental Influences on Intelligence
01:23Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption
01:22Applications of Normal Distribution
The heights of 15 to 18-year-old males from Chile from 1984 to 1985 followed a normal distribution. The mean height is 172.36...
01:24Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism