What is stunting? Why early childhood nutrition matters

Stunting is a condition that affects a child’s growth and development as a result of prolonged poor nutrition, recurring infections, and inadequate psychosocial care.

A child is considered stunted when their height-for-age falls more than two standard deviations below the median set by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Child Growth Standards.

The condition often develops during the first 1,000 days of life—from conception until a child reaches two years old—a critical window for physical and cognitive development. Stunting during this period can result in long-term consequences that extend into adulthood.

Children affected by stunting are more likely to experience poor cognitive development and lower educational performance. In later life, they may have reduced earning capacity and productivity.

When combined with excessive weight gain later in childhood, stunting can also increase the risk of nutrition-related chronic diseases in adulthood.

Linear growth in early childhood is widely used as a key indicator of child health and development. It is strongly associated with lower risks of illness and death, improved learning outcomes, and higher productivity in adulthood. It also reflects development across multiple domains, including cognitive, language, and sensory-motor skills.

Child stunting in PH on the rise, affecting 1 in 4 children

For the first time since 2015, stunting among Filipino children under five has increased, rising to 25.3 percent last year—equivalent to one in every four children—according to the Second Congressional Commission on Education Second Congressional Commission on Education.

This reflects a 1.7 percentage point increase from 2023, based on data from the 2025 Updating Survey conducted by the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute.

The survey was conducted from April 23, 2025 to March 31 this year and covered 91.5 percent of target households across all 118 provinces and highly urbanized cities.

(Source: World Health Organization with reports from Inquirer.net)