There are tall children and short children – and then there are stunted children. Stunting is not the same as being short. A child that is stunted is not only too short for his or her age group but also likely to experience slower mental development and be more vulnerable to disease.
Almost a quarter of South Africa’s children under five are stunted, due to nutritional deficiency. If South Africa is to maximise its human resources, it needs to address this issue – fast.
In this article, we explain all you need to know about stunting, and what you can do to help.
- Childhood stunting is defined as being too short for one’s age. It’s measured by comparing a child’s height-for-age to the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards. A child with a height below two standard deviations from the median is stunted. In South Africa, caregivers are given a growth chart at birth, and a child’s growth is measured at each clinic visit. If the chart shows the child is not reaching their expected growth milestones, it may indicate a risk of stunting.
- Stunting results from a long-term nutritional deficiency that begins in the womb. It is established when children are not provided with adequate nutrients during their most critical developmental phase, namely the first 1,000 years of life. In the womb, it is often the result of the mother being undernourished, in poor health, or an adolescent. According to a 2024 study in the National Library of Medicine (“Preventing Stunting in South African Children Under 5”; Wand, Naidoo, Govender, Reddy and Moodley), mothers’ anthropometric measures (underweight/height < 160 cm), marital status, low education, absence of medical insurance and low-socioeconomic conditions are the most influential risk factors for stunting.
- While breast milk is the recommended nourishment for babies up to six months, after that time, breast milk alone is insufficient. Children require their diets to be supplemented by nutritious complementary foods (cereals, fruits, vegetables and proteins). When this supplementation is poor or non-existent, stunting becomes irreversible.
- Stunting can be prevented by ensuring children get the right nutrition, especially during the first 1,000 days of life. This includes providing nutrient-rich foods like LNS-MQ*, supporting breastfeeding, maintaining good hygiene, providing access to clean water, and helping caregivers with guidance and support to give children proper care. Together, these measures help children grow well, develop properly, and build a strong foundation for lifelong health and learning.
- The NLM study showed that, even though South Africa has shown some improvement in stunting rates between 2008 and 2017, the country still has one of the world’s highest rates of stunted children and is behind the UNICEF goal of reducing the number of stunted children under five years old by 40% by 2025.
- Stunting in children can have short- and long-term consequences, including developmental delays, poor cognitive function, and increased risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Stunted adults often exhibit reduced economic productivity, which can perpetuate the cycle of poverty and malnutrition.
- While government and non-governmental programmes exist to address malnutrition, many lack sufficient resources or do not focus on the critical first 1,000 days of life—from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday.
- The “Raise A Life. Raise A Nation.” campaign, sponsored by Compact Food Solutions, targets this period to give children the best start in life, because interventions during these early days have the greatest impact on preventing stunting and supporting lifelong health and development. Find out how you can support the campaign here [https://raisealife.co.za].
*LNS-MQ (Medium-Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplement) is a power-packed peanut paste designed to give babies and toddlers a healthy start. It’s one of the most effective tools for supporting a child’s nutritional needs early in life and securing their future.
