Correlation between hemoglobin levels and incidence of stunted children in Sorong Regency, Indonesia

Introduction: Stunting cases in the Sorong of Regency are higher than the national stunting prevalence. Malnutrition is one of factor important reasons for stunting, malnutrition can cause anemia which is a condition where the rate of children's hemoglobin is below normal. Therefore, this study is to analyze the correlation between Hb levels and stunting incidence in Sorong Regency and to investigate sociodemographic factors associated with stunting causes. Methods: This study is an observational analytic with a cross-sectional design. The sample size for this study consisted of 60 children who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The sample was further divided into two groups: 40 stunted children and 20 non-stunted children who comprised the control group. Measurement of hemoglobin levels using tool hematology analyzer carried out in the Laboratory Hospital Clinic Dr. J. P. Wanane Sorong of Regency. Analysis univariate use a distribution of the variables studied which include characteristics of respondents and families, meanwhile Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between hemoglobin status with the stunting status. Results: Based on the results of the bivariate test, the value of r = -0.308 with a significance value of p = 0.017 (< 0.05) which means that the more children who experience stunting, the fewer children will have normal Hb levels. Children with normal Hb levels have a 5.4 times chance of not experiencing stunting when compared to children who have anemia. Conclusion: There is a significant relationship (p=0.017) between the incidence of stunting and Hb levels in children in Sorong Regency, where stunted children are 5.4 times more likely to experience anemia compared to normal children who do not experience stunting.