stunted growth

Stunted growth, also known as stunting, refers to impaired growth and development in children, which results in a lower than average height for the child's age. Stunted growth can develop due to a range of direct and indirect causes, often in the context of living in poverty and food insecurity. Causes include poor fetal growth in the womb, unsafe sanitation, poor quality drinking water, childhood infections and diarrhea, malnutrition in the mother or the child.