Peer-reviewed article
Modeling environmental interactions and collaborative interventions for childhood stunting: A case from Indonesia.
Astuti SJW, Suindyah Dwiningwarni S, Atmojo S ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This qualitative study examined how Indonesia's government manages childhood stunting and the role of different stakeholders in prevention efforts. Researchers interviewed 60 people and conducted focus group discussions between January 2023 and September 2024. The study found that reducing stunting requires effective collaboration between multiple sectors and stakeholders, with social capital—including social networks, collective norms, and trust—playing an important role in these efforts. The authors call for further research on how social capital can be adapted to local contexts across Indonesia.
Key points
- Success of stunting reduction depends on effective collaboration between various stakeholders
- Social capital, comprising social networks, collective norms, and trust, strengthens stunting reduction efforts
- Government has implemented various programs to address stunting, but management effectiveness needs examination
- Cross-sector collaboration and active participation of all stakeholders are necessary for integrated stunting management
- Intervention models need to be adapted to local social and cultural dynamics in Indonesia
Limitations
This is a qualitative study based on interviews and focus group discussions, so it cannot quantify the magnitude of stunting reduction or compare the effectiveness of different intervention approaches. The study does not evaluate a specific intervention or provide outcome measurements for stunting reduction.
Abstract
Child stunting is a significant problem in Indonesia and requires special attention even though the government has implemented various programs to overcome it. The formulation of this study is: 1) How is the management of stunting handling based on the government's perspective? 2) What is the role of parties involved in the prevention and handling of stunting? 3) What is an effective stunting management model? The objectives of this research are: 1) The implementation of local government stunting handling policies; 2) Analyze cross-sector collaboration and active participation of all stakeholders; and 3) Formulate an integrated model for handling stunting and the implementation of system synergy. The design of this study uses a qualitative approach with a phenomenological which was carried out in the period from January 2023 to September 2024 in Indonesia. The informants interviewed in this study were 60 people recruited using the purposive sampling method also involving Focus Group Discussions (FGD). The results of this study identify that the success of stunting reduction efforts depends on effective collaboration between various stakeholders. The study highlights that social capital, which consists of social networks, collective norms, and trusts, plays an important role in strengthening stunting reduction efforts. Further research is needed to explore the specific impacts of social capital in other contexts in Indonesia and to develop more adaptive intervention models to local social and cultural dynamics.