Socioeconomic Determinants of Stunting Among Children Under Five in Developing Countries: A Scoping Review

Ita Hikmah Hidayati; Djauhar Ismail; Endang Koni Suryaningsih

doi:10.30994/jnp.v10i1.1041

Authors

Ita Hikmah Hidayati Master of Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University 'Aisyiyah Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5650-5645
Djauhar Ismail Master of Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University 'Aisyiyah Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8970-932X
Endang Koni Suryaningsih Master of Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University 'Aisyiyah Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9055-2308

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30994/jnp.v10i1.1041

Keywords:

Developing Countries, Scoping Review, Socioeconomic Determinants, Stunting, Under-Five Children

Abstract

Background: Stunting among children under five remains a major public health concern in developing countries. Socioeconomic disadvantages may affect child growth through inadequate nutrition, limited healthcare access, and unfavorable living conditions.
Purpose: This scoping review aimed to identify and describe socioeconomic determinants associated with stunting among children under five in developing countries.
Methods: A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O’Malley framework and PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Relevant studies published between 2015 and 2025 were identified through four electronic databases. Ten studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in the descriptive synthesis.
Results: The included studies identified household income, parental education, employment, sanitation, and access to healthcare as socioeconomic factors associated with stunting among children under five. These factors may influence child growth through dietary adequacy, caregiving practices, healthcare utilization, and household living conditions.
Conclusion: Stunting is a multifactorial problem associated with socioeconomic conditions at household and community levels. Prevention strategies should integrate nutrition interventions with efforts to improve parental education, household welfare, healthcare access, and living environments.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Addae, H. Y., Sulemana, M., Yakubu, T., Atosona, A., Tahiru, R., & Azupogo, F. (2024). Low birth weight, household socio-economic status, water and sanitation are associated with stunting and wasting among children aged 6–23 months: Results from a national survey in Ghana. PLOS ONE, 19(3), e0297698. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297698

Adedokun, S. T., & Yaya, S. (2021). Factors associated with adverse nutritional status of children in sub‐Saharan Africa: Evidence from the Demographic and Health Surveys from 31 countries. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 17(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13198

Alam, M. A., Richard, S. A., Fahim, S. M., Mahfuz, M., Nahar, B., Das, S., Shrestha, B., Koshy, B., Mduma, E., Seidman, J. C., Murray-Kolb, L. E., Caulfield, L. E., & Ahmed, T. (2020). Impact of early-onset persistent stunting on cognitive development at 5 years of age: Results from a multi-country cohort study. PLOS ONE, 15(1), e0227839. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227839

Amugsi, D. A., & Dimbuene, Z. T. (2022). Basic determinants of child linear growth outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa: a cross-sectional survey analysis of positive deviants in poor households. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 14218. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18568-z

Arksey, H., & O’Malley, L. (2005). Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8(1), 19–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364557032000119616

Asgedom, Y. S., Seifu, B. L., Mare, K. U., Asmare, Z. A., Asebe, H. A., Kase, B. F., Shibeshi, A. H., Tebeje, T. M., Sabo, K. G., Fente, B. M., Kassie, G. A., & Lombebo, A. A. (2024). Levels of stunting associated factors among under-five children in Ethiopia: A multi-level ordinal logistic regression analysis. PLOS ONE, 19(1), e0296451. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296451

Baye, K., Laillou, A., & Chitweke, S. (2020). Socio-Economic Inequalities in Child Stunting Reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nutrients, 12(1), 253. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12010253

Biegert, T., Brady, D., & Hipp, L. (2022). Cross-National Variation in the Relationship between Welfare Generosity and Single Mother Employment. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 702(1), 37–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/00027162221120760

Estecha Querol, S., Gill, P., Iqbal, R., Kletter, M., Ozdemir, N., & Al-Khudairy, L. (2022). Adolescent undernutrition in South Asia: a scoping review. Nutrition Research Reviews, 35(1), 39–49. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954422421000068

Gebregergis, C. M. (2024). Socioeconomic determinants of child malnutrition: Evidence from Ethiopia. Discover Global Society, 2(1), 47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44282-024-00062-8

Haile, Y. T., & Legisso, T. Z. (2024). Trends and determinants of child stunting in Ethiopia: a longitudinal analysis of sociodemographic factors and regional disparities. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 3391. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20962-3

Hertog, S. (2023). Taking Causal Heterogeneity Seriously: Implications for Case Choice and Case Study-Based Generalizations. Sociological Methods & Research, 52(3), 1456–1492. https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124120986206

Kibemo, B., Mulugeta, A., Hailu, D., & Gelaw, B. (2022). The association of socio-demographic and environmental factors with stunting among under-five children in Hawassa City, Sidama National Regional State, Ethiopia. Journal of Nutritional Science, 11, e33. https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2022.29

Laksono, A. D., Wulandari, R. D., Amaliah, N., & Wisnuwardani, R. W. (2022). Stunting among children under two years in Indonesia: Does maternal education matter? PLOS ONE, 17(7), e0271509. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271509

Levac, D., Colquhoun, H., & O’Brien, K. K. (2010). Scoping studies: Advancing the methodology. Implementation Science, 5, Article 69. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-5-69

Martin, S., Mutuku, F., Sessions, J., Lee, J., Mukoko, D., Malhotra, I., King, C. H., & LaBeaud, A. D. (2020). Factors associated with early childhood stunted growth in a 2012–2015 birth cohort monitored in the rural Msambweni area of coastal Kenya: a cross-sectional study. BMC Pediatrics, 20(1), 208. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-020-02110-z

Mazeikaite, G., O’Donoghue, C., & Sologon, D. M. (2021). What Drives Cross-Country Health Inequality in the EU? Unpacking the Role of Socio-economic Factors. Social Indicators Research, 155(1), 117–155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-020-02587-2

Olakunle, A. A. (2024). Analysing the drivers of stunting reduction in twelve sub-saharan African countries using the RIF decomposition approach. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 2058. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-19327-7

Sahiledengle, B., Petrucka, P., Kumie, A., Mwanri, L., Beressa, G., Atlaw, D., Tekalegn, Y., Zenbaba, D., Desta, F., & Agho, K. E. (2022). Association between water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and child undernutrition in Ethiopia: a hierarchical approach. BMC Public Health, 22(1), 1943. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14309-z

Soofi, S. B., Khan, A., Kureishy, S., Hussain, I., Habib, M. A., Umer, M., Ariff, S., Sajid, M., Rizvi, A., Ahmed, I., Iqbal, J., Ahmed, K. M., Achakzai, A. B. K., & Bhutta, Z. A. (2023). Determinants of Stunting among Children under Five in Pakistan. Nutrients, 15(15), 3480. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15153480

Ssentongo, P., Ssentongo, A. E., Ba, D. M., Ericson, J. E., Na, M., Gao, X., Fronterre, C., Chinchilli, V. M., & Schiff, S. J. (2021). Global, regional and national epidemiology and prevalence of child stunting, wasting and underweight in low- and middle-income countries, 2006–2018. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 5204. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-84302-w

Takele, B. A., Gezie, L. D., & Alamneh, T. S. (2022). Pooled prevalence of stunting and associated factors among children aged 6–59 months in Sub-Saharan Africa countries: A Bayesian multilevel approach. PLOS ONE, 17(10), e0275889. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275889

Tamanna, T., Mahmud, S., Salma, N., Hossain, Md. M., & Karim, Md. R. (2025). Identifying determinants of malnutrition in under-five children in Bangladesh: insights from the BDHS-2022 cross-sectional study. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 14336. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99288-y

Tamir, T. T., Gezhegn, S. A., Dagnew, D. T., Mekonenne, A. T., Aweke, G. T., & Lakew, A. M. (2024). Prevalence of childhood stunting and determinants in low and lower-middle income African countries: Evidence from standard demographic and health survey. PLOS ONE, 19(4), e0302212. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0302212

Tola, G., Kassa, A., Getu, M., Dibaba, B., & Neggesse, S. (2023). Prevalence of stunting and associated factors among neonates in Shebadino woreda, Sidama region South Ethiopia; a community-based cross-sectional study 2022. BMC Pediatrics, 23(1), 276. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-023-04080-4

Tricco, A. C., Lillie, E., Zarin, W., O’Brien, K. K., Colquhoun, H., Levac, D., Moher, D., Peters, M. D. J., Horsley, T., Weeks, L., Hempel, S., Akl, E. A., Chang, C., McGowan, J., Stewart, L., Hartling, L., Aldcroft, A., Wilson, M. G., Garritty, C., ... Straus, S. E. (2018). PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and explanation. Annals of Internal Medicine, 169(7), 467–473. https://doi.org/10.7326/M18-0850

World Health Organization. (2022). Social determinants of health. WHO. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/social-determinants-of-health

Wulandari, R. D., Laksono, A. D., Astuti, Y., Matahari, R., Rohmah, N., Prihatin, R. B., & Elda, F. (2025). Stunting Among Low-Income Families in Indonesia: Is Mother’s Employment a Risk Factor? Journal of Research in Health Sciences, 25(3), e00654. https://doi.org/10.34172/jrhs.7450

Yani, D. I., Rahayuwati, L., Sari, C. W. M., Komariah, M., & Fauziah, S. R. (2023). Family Household Characteristics and Stunting: An Update Scoping Review. Nutrients, 15(1), 233. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15010233