Balanced nutrition education as an effort to prevent stunting in toddlers

Hatijar Hatijar (Department of Midwifery, STIKES Husada Mandiri Poso, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia)
Ari Setiawati (Department of Midwifery, Central Java University of Qur'an Science in Wonosobo, Indonesia)
Lamria Situmeang (Department of Nursing, Poltekkes Kemenkes Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia)
Indrawati Aris Tyarini (Department of Nursing, Central Java University of Qur'an Sciences in Wonosobo, Indonesia)
Sitti Zakiyyah Putri (Nursing Study Program, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Muhammadiyah Makassar, Indonesia)
Lina Yunita (Department of Nutrition, University Bumigora, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia)

Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Edukasi Indonesia
Vol. 2 No. 2 (2025): Volume 2 Number 2 June 2025

Stunting is one of the health problems that is still highly prevalent in Indonesia, especially in toddlers. This condition has a long-term impact on children's physical growth, cognitive development, and productivity in the future. One of the main factors causing stunting is the ignorance of parents or caregivers about the importance of balanced nutrition in the child's growth period. This community service activity aims to increase public knowledge and awareness, especially among mothers with toddlers, about the importance of providing balanced nutrition to prevent stunting. The method used in this activity is education through counseling, interactive discussions, and distribution of educational media through leaflets and posters. The activity was conducted at the Posyandu and involved health cadres and nutritionists. The evaluation results showed an increase in participants' knowledge by 75% based on the pre-test and post-test. This activity shows that direct and contextual balanced nutrition education can effectively prevent stunting in toddlers