The Effects of High Protein Supplementary Feeding on the Growth of Stunting Children Aged 6-59 Months in Indonesia

Background: Stunting remains a major public health problem in Indonesia, with a national prevalence of 21.6% in 2022 and nearly 30% in Semarang City. Inadequate protein intake is one of the key contributors, whereas animal-source protein supports growth, in part, through its effect on Insulin-like Growth Factor I (IGF-I). Objective: To evaluate the effect of high-protein supplementary feeding on the growth of stunted children aged 6-59 months using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. Methods: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study was conducted involving stunted children aged 6-59 months who received supplementary food containing an energy-protein ratio of 10-18% for 90 days. Anthropometric outcomes included body weight (BW), height (Ht), weight-for-age Z-score (WAZ), height-for-age Z-score (HAZ), and weight-for-height Z-score (WHZ). Dietary intake, infection incidence, and compliance were also assessed. Paired t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and correlation analyses were applied as appropriate. Results: In the 101 study participants, energy (+128 kcal), protein (+6.77 g), fat (+11.8 g), and carbohydrate (+22.6 g) intake increased significantly (all p