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The purpose of this indicator is to measure the prevalence of stunting among children under 5 years of age, providing insight into their nutritional status and long-term health outcomes, to assess progress towards achieving 2.2: ‘By 2030 end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving by 2025 the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under five years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, and older persons’. This indicator provides essential data on the nutritional status and well-being of children under 5 years of age, particularly focusing on stunting, which is a key measure of chronic malnutrition, and is critical for understanding the effectiveness of nutrition interventions. By monitoring this indicator, policymakers, stakeholders, and organizations can make informed decisions to promote sustainable development and address the underlying causes of malnutrition, implement targeted interventions to improve maternal and child health, enhance access to nutritious food, and reduce inequalities in healthcare access and outcomes. This indicator helps to ensure that relevant populations, particularly children under 5 years of age and their caregivers, receive targeted interventions and support to address malnutrition, improve health outcomes, and promote overall well-being, thereby contributing to the overall objective of sustainable, inclusive, and equitable growth.

This indicator measures the prevalence of stunting among children under 5 years of age, providing insight into their nutritional status and long-term health outcomes, to monitor progress towards Target 2.2: ‘By 2030 end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving by 2025 the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under five years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, and older persons’. It is defined as the prevalence of stunting (height-for-age <-2 standard deviation from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age. The relevance of this indicator lies in its ability to provide critical data on the nutritional status and well-being of children under 5 years of age, particularly focusing on stunting, which is a key measure of chronic malnutrition, which is essential for understanding the effectiveness of nutrition interventions, assessing progress towards reducing malnutrition rates, and informing policies and programs aimed at improving child health and well-being. The data for this indicator is collected through Household Surveys, and it is calculated by determining the percentage of children whose height-for-age falls below -2 standard deviations from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards. The formula for the prevalence of stunting is expressed as the number of children under 5 years with height-for-age below -2 SD divided by the total number of children under 5 years, multiplied by 100 to express the result as a percentage. By tracking this indicator, stakeholders can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of nutrition interventions, assessing progress towards reducing malnutrition rates, and informing policies and programs aimed at improving child health and well-being, enabling them to make informed decisions to promote sustainable development and address the underlying causes of malnutrition, implement targeted interventions to improve maternal and child health, enhance access to nutritious food, and reduce inequalities in healthcare access and outcomes.

Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB).

Ad-Hoc.

Percentage (%).

-    Indicator definition - Prevalence of stunting (height-for-age <-2 standard deviation from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age.
-    Geographical coverage: National.
-    Data collection method: Household Survey.
-    Data availability: 2015

The WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study (MGRS) (WHO 2006) was undertaken to generate a growth standard for assessing the growth and development of infants and young children around the world. The MGRS collected primary growth data and related information from children from widely different ethnic backgrounds and cultural settings (Brazil, Ghana, India, Norway, Oman, and the USA). The resulting growth standard can be applied to all children everywhere, regardless of ethnicity, socioeconomic status and type of feeding. The indicator refers to those moderately or severely stunted, that is with a z-score below -2 standard deviations for height-for-age from the median of the growth standard.

By Age group, and Sex.

The Calculation for SDG Indicator 2.a.2 involves calculating the prevalence of stunting among children under 5 years of age. This is done by determining the percentage of children whose height-for-age falls below -2 standard deviations from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards. The formula for the prevalence of stunting is expressed as the number of children under 5 years with height-for-age below -2 SD divided by the total number of children under 5 years, multiplied by 100 to express the result as a percentage. 

-    International Comparisons: Compare progress in the prevalence of stunting among children under 5 years of age across different countries and regions.
-    Reporting and Accountability: Report progress to stakeholders, including governments and international organizations, to ensure accountability and transparency in achieving SDG Target 2.2.
-    Monitoring and Evaluation: Track progress towards SDG Target 2.2 and evaluate the effectiveness of the nutritional interventions.

N/A.

All the metadata shown in this document was gathered from United Nation Statistics Division. The metadata was extracted from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/.