<![CDATA[Chronic nutritional problems such as stunting remain a major public health concern in Indonesia, particularly in rural areas. This study aims to examine the relationship between maternal age, education, parity, and occupation with mothers’ knowledge of stunting and their exclusive breastfeeding practices in Ranombupulu Village, Motui Subdistrict, North Konawe Regency. A quantitative cross-sectional design was applied involving 81 mothers of children under five, selected using total sampling. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed descriptively and through the Chi-Square test (α = 0.05). The results showed that most respondents were aged 20–35 years (58%), had secondary education (63%), had two to four children (54.3%), and were mostly housewives (48.1%). Mothers’ knowledge of stunting was in the moderate category (58%), yet only 13.6% practiced exclusive breastfeeding. There were significant relationships between maternal age (p = 0.041), education (p = 0.009), and parity (p = 0.048) with knowledge, while occupation was not significant (p = 0.056). Knowledge was also significantly associated with exclusive breastfeeding practices (p = 0.018). These findings indicate that sociodemographic factors influence mothers’ knowledge and behavior in stunting prevention. Continuous nutrition education is necessary to strengthen stunting prevention efforts at the household level. Abstrak Masalah gizi kronis berupa stunting masih menjadi isu penting di Indonesia, khususnya di daerah pedesaan. Penelitian ini bertujuan menelaah hubungan antara umur, pendidikan, paritas, dan pekerjaan ibu dengan tingkat pengetahuan mengenai stunting serta kaitannya dengan praktik pemberian ASI eksklusif di Desa Ranombupulu, Kecamatan Motui, Kabupaten Konawe Utara. Penelitian menggunakan metode kuantitatif dengan desain potong lintang dan melibatkan 81 ibu balita yang dipilih melalui total sampling. Pengumpulan data dilakukan menggunakan kuesioner terstruktur dan dianalisis secara deskriptif serta melalui uji Chi-Square (α = 0,05). Hasil menunjukkan bahwa responden berusia 20–35 tahun (58%), berpendidikan menengah (63%), memiliki dua hingga empat anak (54,3%), dan sebagian besar adalah ibu rumah tangga (48,1%). Pengetahuan ibu tentang stunting termasuk kategori cukup (58%), namun hanya 13,6% yang memberikan ASI eksklusif. Ditemukan hubungan bermakna antara usia (p = 0,041), pendidikan (p = 0,009), serta paritas (p = 0,048) dengan pengetahuan, sedangkan pekerjaan tidak signifikan (p = 0,056). Pengetahuan juga berpengaruh terhadap praktik pemberian ASI eksklusif (p = 0,018). Temuan ini menegaskan bahwa faktor sosiodemografis berperan terhadap pengetahuan dan perilaku ibu dalam pencegahan stunting. Diperlukan edukasi gizi berkelanjutan untuk memperkuat upaya pencegahan di tingkat rumah tangga.]]>
Copyrights © 2025
