In 2021, Bali had the lowest national rate of child stunting, according to the Indonesian Nutrition Status Study (SSGI) report from the Ministry of Health. The prevalence was only 10.9%.
Stunting is a condition in which a child experiences growth retardation, resulting in a height that is not in line with the average for children of the same age. This condition occurs due to chronic malnutrition or a lack of nutritional intake over a long period.
The SSGI report notes that 5 out of 9 regencies/cities in Bali had a child stunting prevalence below the provincial average.
Gianyar Regency had the lowest prevalence of child stunting in Bali, at 5.1%. This was followed by Badung Regency (8.7%), Buleleng Regency (8.9%), Denpasar City (9%), and Tabanan Regency (9.2%).
Conversely, the prevalence of stunting above the Bali provincial average was found in Bangli Regency (11.8%), followed by Jembrana Regency (14.3%), Klungkung Regency (19.4%), and the highest rate in Karangasem Regency (22.9%).
Overall, the national rate of child stunting reached 24.4% in 2021, down from 26.9% in 2020.
The SSGI notes that the majority of stunting cases in Indonesia were found in children aged 3-4 years (36-47 months), with a percentage of 6%.
This study was conducted on 153,228 households with toddlers in 34 provinces and 514 regencies/cities in Indonesia in 2021. The research method used in this study was stratified two-stage sampling.