Empowering families and health cadres in stunting prevention through nutrition education and assistance for toddler growth and development

Syaharuddin Syaharuddin (Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Bhayangkara Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia)
Dewi Nurhanifah (Department of Nursing, Universitas Muhammadiyah Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia)
Ari Setiawati (Department of Nursing, Universitas Sains Al-Qur'an, Central Java, Indonesia)
Indrawati Aris (Department of Midwifery, Universitas Sains Al-Qur'an, Central Java, Indonesia)
Sylvia Bawiling (Department of Public Health and Sports Sciences, Universitas Negeri Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia)
Suprapto Suprapto (Department of Nursing, Politeknik Sandi Karsa, South Sulawesi, Indonesia)

Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Edukasi Indonesia
Vol. 3 No. 3 (2026): Volume 3 Number 3 Oktober 2026

Background: Stunting remains an important public health concern because it can adversely affect children's physical growth, cognitive development, and future quality of life. Family involvement and the active participation of community health cadres are essential for improving nutritional practices and ensuring regular monitoring of toddler growth and development. Objective: This community empowerment program aimed to improve the knowledge and practical capacity of families and health cadres in preventing stunting through nutrition education and assistance in monitoring toddler growth and development. Methods: The program was implemented using a participatory approach involving families with toddlers and community health cadres. Activities included nutrition education, counseling on balanced diets and appropriate complementary feeding, demonstrations of child growth measurement, developmental monitoring, and individualized assistance. Participants' knowledge was assessed before and after the educational sessions using structured questionnaires. Growth monitoring included measurements of body weight and height/length, while developmental assistance emphasized age-appropriate stimulation and early identification of developmental concerns. Results: The program showed an improvement in participants' knowledge regarding stunting prevention, balanced nutrition, appropriate feeding practices, and growth monitoring. Families demonstrated greater awareness of the importance of regular growth and development monitoring and appropriate nutritional practices. Health cadres also showed improved capacity to provide nutrition education, conduct basic anthropometric monitoring, identify children at risk of growth problems, and encourage families to utilize community-based health services regularly. Conclusion: Nutrition education combined with family assistance and strengthened health cadre capacity is a practical community-based strategy for supporting stunting prevention. Continuous mentoring and regular growth and development monitoring are recommended to sustain behavioral improvements and facilitate early detection of nutritional and developmental problems.