Stunted growth

Stunted growth
Other names	Stunting, nutritional stunting
World map in 2016: Share of children who are stunted
Specialty	Pediatrics

Stunted growth, also known as stunting or linear growth failure, is defined as impaired growth and development manifested by low height-for-age.^[1] It is a manifestation of malnutrition (undernutrition) and can be caused by endogenous factors (such as chronic food insecurity) or exogenous factors (such as parasitic infection). Stunting is largely irreversible if occurring in the first 1000 days from conception to two years of age.^[2] The international definition of childhood stunting is a child whose height-for-age value is below -2 standard deviations from the median of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Child Growth Standards.^[3] Stunted growth is associated with poverty, maternal under-nutrition and poor health, frequent illness, and/or inappropriate feeding practices and care during the early years of life.^[1]

As of 2020^[update], an estimated 149 million children under 5 years of age are stunted worldwide.^[4] More than 85% of the world's stunted children live in Africa and Asia.^[5] Once established, stunting and its effects typically become permanent. Stunted children may never regain the height lost as a result of stunting, and most children will never gain the corresponding body weight. One notable contribution to stunted growth is a lack of sanitation, such as public defecation in countries like India.^[6]