Preventing Childhood Stunting Through Integrated Life-Course Intervention Models: A Scoping Review

Heni Voni Rerey (Faculty of Midwifery, Poltekkes Kemenkes Jayapura, Jayapura City, Papua, Indonesia)
Sri Wahyuni (Faculty of Midwifery, Poltekkes Kemenkes Jayapura, Jayapura City, Papua, Indonesia)
Martina Mogan (Faculty of Midwifery, Poltekkes Kemenkes Jayapura, Jayapura City, Papua, Indonesia)
Eyllonggia Eunike Libertyen Mawene (Faculty of Midwifery, Poltekkes Kemenkes Jayapura, Jayapura City, Papua, Indonesia)
Jufri Hidayat (Faculty of Nursing, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Dang Thi Loan (Thang Long University, Hanoi, Vietnam)

Ahmar Metastasis Health Journal (AMHJ)
Vol. 6 No. 2 (2026): Ahmar Metastasis Health Journal

Childhood stunting remains a major global public health challenge associated with chronic growth restriction beginning during pregnancy and continuing through early childhood. Its determinants include maternal nutrition, fetal growth, feeding practices, infections, caregiving, household resources, and environmental conditions. This scoping review aimed to map intervention models, delivery platforms, implementation approaches, and evidence gaps in stunting prevention across the life course, emphasizing intervention timing. The review followed established scoping review methodology and the PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines. Literature was identified through PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, supplemented by relevant World Health Organization reports. Eligibility criteria followed the Population Concept Context framework, focusing on children under five years, particularly during the first 1,000 days, and interventions targeting linear growth in vulnerable populations. Data were charted by intervention type, timing, delivery platform, outcomes, and implementation factors, then synthesized narratively. Twenty-nine sources met the inclusion criteria. Interventions included maternal nutrition, breastfeeding support, complementary feeding, fortified foods, water, sanitation and hygiene, social protection, and early childhood development. The evidence revealed substantial variation in intervention timing, delivery platforms, implementation strategies, and growth-related outcomes. Effectiveness appeared to depend on implementation quality, caregiver engagement, intervention intensity, and health-system and community support. The findings support coordinated nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions beginning during pregnancy and continuing throughout the first 1,000 days. Future research should prioritize integrated delivery models, context-specific implementation strategies, and longitudinal evaluations to strengthen evidence on sustainable stunting prevention.