<![CDATA[The prevalence of stunting in West Sulawesi reached 35.4% in 2024. The causes of stunting include early marriage, limited education, and suboptimal nutritional access for pregnant women and toddlers. Objective: This study aims to determine the effectiveness of providing high-protein foods through traditional Mandar dishes (pupu’ mandar and penja fish) on the increase in height and weight of stunted toddlers. Methods: This study used a pre-experimental design, which involves pre and post intervention measurement without comparison to a control group. Thus, the research only focused on the treatment given to stunted toddlers by providing an experimental diet of Mandar specialty foods (pupu’ mandar and penja fish) for three months. Sampling was conducted using the total sampling technique. The average height of stunted toddlers before being given the high-protein Mandar foods (pupu’ and penja) was 75.59 cm and after the intervention was 83.36 cm. The average weight before the intervention was8.88 kg, and after was 13.30 kg. The provision of these high-protein foods was effective in increasing the height and weight of stunted toddlers with a p-value of 0.000. It is hoped that families will more frequently provide their children with high-protein foods so that toddlers can be protected from stunting.]]>
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