Unveiling The Effect Of Climate Change And Food Security On Stunting In Sumatra: An Empirical Study

Introduction/Main Objectives: Stunting, a crucial public health challenge, continues to overshadow the development of children in Sumatra, Indonesia. Background Problems: Sumatra has stunting rates above the national average, while the national target is below 14% by 2024. This needs to be studied and become an evaluation material for the government in overcoming the problem of stunting in Sumatra. Novelty: This research fills the gaps : first, no one has fully studied how food security and climate change together affect stunting in Sumatra, previous studies didn't examine data from all Sumatran provinces over multiple years (2016-2022), and earlier research assumed more food security always means less stunting. This study provide empirical evidence that challenges existing assumptions and offers new insights for policy development in addressing stunting in Sumatra and similar regions. Research Methods: This study reveals the complex interactions between climate change, food security and stunting in the region. Utilizing comprehensive panel data from ten Sumatran provinces over the period 2016 to 2022, this study applies panel data regression analysis using Eviews 12 software. Finding/Results: Our findings reveal an interesting paradox: increased food security is positively correlated with increased stunting. Meanwhile, GRDP per capita shows a significant effect in reducing stunting prevalence. Poverty is also shown to have a strong effect on increasing stunting. Meanwhile, climate change and health spending do not show a significant effect. Conclusion: These findings underscore the complexity of factors affecting stunting and emphasize the importance of a multidimensional approach in addressing child nutrition.