Environmental Sanitation as Risk Factors for Intestinal Protozoa Infection among Stunted Children in Sugerkidul Village, Indonesia Hanu N. Septian 1 , Erma Sulistyaningsih* 2 , Angga M. Raharjo 3 , Bagus Hermansyah 4 Wiwien S. Utami 5 , Yunita Armiyanti 6 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 Department of Parasitology, University of Jember, Jember, Indonesia 3 Department of Public Health, University of Jember, Jember, Indonesia DOI: 10.24252/al-sihah.v15i1.35378 Received: 18 March 2023 / In Reviewed: 9 May 2023 / Accepted: 13 June 2023 / Available online: 29 June 2023 ©The Authors 2023. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license 44-52 Stunting, a prevalent health issue in Indonesia, has been found to have a significant impact on the overall well -being of chil- dren, with a prevalence rate of 24.4%. This condition not only affects physical growth but also puts children at a heightened risk of various infections, including those caused by intestinal protozoa. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relation- ship between personal hygiene parenting style and environmental sanitation with intestinal protozoa infection among stunted children in Sugerkidul Village, Jember District, Indonesia. The participants included were 30 stunted children. Questionnaires were used to collect data on personal hygiene parenting style and environmental sanitation, while microscopic stool examina- tion was conducted to identify intestinal protozoa infection. The results showed that 26.7% of stunted children were infected with intestinal protozoa such as Giardia lamblia (13.3%), Blastocystis hominins (3.3%), and Cryptosporidium parvum (10%). Statistical analysis using Fisher's exact test showed a significant association between environmental sanitation and intestinal protozoa infection. However, there was no association between personal hygiene parenting style and this infection among stunted children in Sugerkidul Village. Therefore, to prevent intestinal protozoa infection, it is necessary to improve environ- mental sanitation. ABSTRAK Al-Sihah : Public Health Science Journal Volume 15, Nomor 1, January-June 2023 Stunting merupakan masalah kesehatan yang penting di Indonesia, dengan prevalensi sebesar 24.4%. Gangguan ini mempengaruhi keseluruhan pertumbuhan dan perkembangan balita serta mengakibatkan risiko infeksi yang lebih tinggi, termasuk infeksi protozoa usus. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis hubungan antara pola asuh kebersihan diri dan sanitasi lingkungan dengan kejadian infeksi protozoa usus pada balita stunting di Desa Sugerkidul, Jember, Indonesia. Sebanyak 30 balita stunting dilibatkan dalam penelitian ini. Data pola asuh kebersihan diri dan sanitasi lingkungan dik- umpulkan menggunakan kuesioner dan infeksi protozoa usus diidentifikasi dengan pemeriksaan mikroskopis feses. Infeksi protozoa usus ditemukan pada 26.7% balita stunting dan protozoa usus yang teridentifikasi antara lain Giardia lamblia (3.3%), Blastocystis hominis (3.3%), dan Cryptosporidium parvum (10%). Analisis statistik menggunakan Fischer exact test menunjukkan hubungan yang signifikan antara sanitasi lingkungan dengan kejadian infeksi protozoa usus, tetapi tidak signif- ikan pada hubungan antara pola asuh kebersihan diri dengan kejadian infeksi protozoa usus pada balita stunting di Desa Sugerkidul, Jember. Oleh karena itu, peningkatan sanitasi lingkungan sangat penting dalam upaya mencegah infeksi proto- zoa usus terutama pada balita stunting di wilayah ini. ABSTRACT ISSN-P : 2086-2040 ISSN-E : 2548-5334 * Correspondence Jl. Mastrip No.69, Kec. Sumbersari, Kabupaten Jember, PO.Box 68124 Jawa Timur, Indonesia Email: sulistyaningsih.fk@unej.ac.id GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT Keyword child hygiene intestinal diseases protozoan infections sanitation