<![CDATA[Background: More than 20% of toddlers in Indonesia suffer from stunting. Childhood stunting can impact cognitive function and productivity in adulthood. Stunted toddlers have the opportunity to improve their nutritional status and cognitive functions through catch-up growth. Objectives: To determine the success of catch-up growth in stunted toddlers, and the association of catch-up growth and education history with cognitive function in school-age and adolescence. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) data. This study included 623 stunted toddlers aged 24–59 months, who were followed up at ages 8–11 years and 16–18 years. Catch-up growth was measured using height-age differences, and cognitive function was assessed using Raven’s Progressive Matrices. The data were statistically analyzed using multiple linear regression. Results: A total of 231 (37.1%) and 316 (50.7%) stunted children succeeded in catching up at the age of 8–11 and 16–18 years, respectively. About 67.7% of children demonstrated good cognitive function at 8-11 years and 72,2% at 16-18 years. Catch-up growth and height-for-age z-score were significantly associated with cognitive ability in both age groups (p-value<0.05). Key factors influencing cognitive function included kindergarten attendance, parental education, economic status, infectious disease, and family size. Conclusions: Stunted toddlers can still pursue catch-up growth, associated with better cognitive function at school age and adolescence, alongside educational history. Appropriate interventions are needed to support stunted toddlers in achieving catch-up growth and improving their cognitive functions during school age and adolescence.]]>
