Status of nutritional adequacy in children is often based on the emaciated body of the child or not. In fact, now that should be considered is the issue of height in children who are not in accordance with increasing age.

"Right now we should have been more aware again with children who are short," said Foundation chairman Dr Nutrition Conscious Movement Society. Prawita Tirta Sari, MSc, nutrition counseling in the event commemorating the 2011 National Education Day Elementary School Menteng 02 in Jakarta, Monday (02/05/2011).

The number of cases of children of short berpostur is still a concern in Indonesia. Based on data from Basic Health Research 2010 (Riskesdas) Ministry of Health, the prevalence of short nationally in children aged 6-12 years reached 35.6 percent, comprising 15.1 percent of the category of very short and 20 percent short category. Stands for the lowest prevalence in the province of Bali which is 15.6 percent while the highest in East Nusa Tenggara reached 58.5 percent.

According to Tirta, a short child is a child who already has problems with its nutritional quality for a long time. "So the children who do not fit its growth, it is definitely past (nutritional) ugly," he added.

Tirta judge, basically all children in the world wherever the same growth. Height loss is usually determined short on food intake and nutrition received.

"If we eat with good nutrition and calcium together, we who live in Indonesia, should have a child whose height is the same as those living in the United States," he explained.

Tirta not deny that the genetic factor is one reason a person's height. But it's all said Tirta could be affected. One is environmental factors that have a big hand in making changes. "There is no reason that we are people of Indonesia, can not be high," he said.

For example, Tirta try to give the child's height comparison of private and public schools, private schools where children tend to have higher body than the school in the country.

"Based on the results of research conducted in Indonesia in children in private schools (catholic) than the schools in the country, her height was measured with the same age, they found that there are private schools that his body is higher," he concluded.