Impact of Maternal Nutrition on Childhood Stunting and Obesity: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

The double burden of malnutrition—stunting and obesity—continues to challenge Indonesia’s child health development goals. This longitudinal study tracked 480 mother-child pairs from pregnancy through the child’s fifth year across West Sumatra. Maternal diet quality, micronutrient intake, and gestational weight gain were recorded, while child anthropometric and dietary data were collected at regular intervals. Findings revealed that low maternal dietary diversity and anemia were strong predictors of childhood stunting, while excessive gestational weight gain and sugar consumption were linked with early childhood obesity. Children of mothers who received regular antenatal nutritional counseling showed significantly better growth outcomes. Importantly, postnatal practices such as exclusive breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding also moderated the impact of maternal nutrition. The study underscores the importance of integrated maternal-child nutrition interventions to reduce both under- and over-nutrition. Policymakers must enhance antenatal care with a strong nutritional counseling component and expand postnatal outreach services to high-risk areas.