MATERNAL CHARACTERISTICS AND KNOWLEDGE ON THE RISK OF CHILDHOOD STUNTING AT SIMPANG KAWAT COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, JAMBI

Background: Childhood stunting remains a significant public health concern with its short- and long-term negative impacts. In Indonesia, the national prevalence of stunting was estimated at 30.8% and in Jambi Province 30.1% in 2018. Maternal knowledge about stunting contributes to a major role in stunting prevention. This study aimed to determine the maternal characteristics and knowledge on the risk of childhood stunting at Simpang Kawat Community Health Center, Jambi. Subjects and Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at Simpang Kawat community health center, Lebak Bandung, Jambi. A total of 306 mothers with toddlers was selected by purposive sampling. The dependent variable was stunting. The independent variable was maternal knowledge. The data were collected by questionnaires. The data were analyzed by chi-square with odds ratio. Results: As many as 68.3% of mothers were 20 to 35 years old. 58.3% were secondary school graduated. 85% were housewives. Lower maternal knowledge increased the risk of childhood stunting (OR= 12.67; 95% CI= 3.68 to 43.61; p