Abstract :
Stunting is defined as being below 2 standard deviations (SD) from the median height-for-age z-score (HAZ), as determined by the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards. Several studies report that exclusive breastfeeding has protective effects againts stunting. Study concluded that children with low socioeconomic conditions can benefit from exclusive breastfeeding to reduce the incidence of stunting. However results of studies are contraty. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between exclusive breastfeeding and stunting in children. This systematic review research includes journals from the Google Scholar, Sciencedirect, and PubMed databases according to PRISMA which include the following requirements: last 5 years, abstract available, English language. The search terms used were “Breastfeeding” AND “Children” AND “Stunting” AND “Comparison”. From 270 articles found, 7 journals related were selected for further review. From this systematic review, it was shown that exclusive breastfeeding is associated with a reduction in the prevalence of stunting in children. But keep in mind that prolonged breastfeeding can cause impaired growth and development and compromised immune system. Education about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding is expected to reduce the incidence of stunting and short or long term related complications.
