Peer-reviewed article
MAPPING STUNTING REDUCTION EFFORTS IN INDONESIA: A SCOPING REVIEW OF EVIDENCE PUBLISHED FROM 2020 TO 2025
R.A. Kusuma, Dian Putri Mumpuni, Helmi Prinanda ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This scoping review mapped 31 studies published between 2020 and 2025 on efforts to reduce stunting in Indonesia. The most common interventions were nutrition supplementation and complementary feeding. Others were nutrition education, community empowerment, health cadre strengthening, governance and multisectoral collaboration. Most interventions were reported to improve maternal knowledge, feeding practices, health worker capacity, community participation and child growth indicators. The review found little evidence on how faithfully interventions were delivered, their cost-effectiveness, whether they can be scaled up, or whether they last.
Key points
- Indonesia's national stunting prevalence fell from 21.5% in 2023 to 19.5% in 2024.
- Thirty-one studies were included, and nutrition supplementation and complementary feeding were the most frequently reported interventions.
- Most interventions improved maternal knowledge, child feeding practices, health worker capacity, community participation and child growth indicators.
- Success consistently depended on implementation capacity, interprofessional collaboration, community engagement and supportive local governance.
- Limited evidence was found on implementation fidelity, cost-effectiveness, scalability and long-term sustainability.
Limitations
The abstract does not give the designs of the included studies, effect sizes or quality appraisal, so it cannot show how strong the evidence behind the reported improvements is. Only two databases (Scopus and PubMed/MEDLINE) were searched, and the review maps evidence rather than testing whether any one intervention works.
Abstract
Background: Indonesia reduced its national stunting prevalence from 21.5% in 2023 to 19.5% in 2024 through accelerated multisectoral interventions. However, evidence regarding the characteristics, implementation approaches, and outcomes of these interventions remains fragmented. Objective: This scoping review mapped the evidence on stunting reduction efforts implemented in Indonesia between 2020 and 2025, focusing on intervention characteristics, target populations, implementation approaches, reported outcomes, and research gaps. Methods: A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reported according to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Scopus and PubMed/MEDLINE were systematically searched for studies published between January 2020 and December 2025. Eligible studies were selected using the Population–Concept–Context framework, and findings were synthesized through narrative evidence mapping. Results: Thirty-one studies were included. Nutrition supplementation and complementary feeding were the most frequently reported interventions, followed by nutrition education, community empowerment, health cadre strengthening, governance, and multisectoral collaboration. Most interventions improved maternal knowledge, child feeding practices, health worker capacity, community participation, and child growth indicators. Successful implementation consistently depended on implementation capacity, interprofessional collaboration, community engagement, and supportive local governance. Limited evidence was identified regarding implementation fidelity, cost-effectiveness, scalability, and long-term sustainability. Conclusion: Indonesia's stunting reduction efforts have evolved toward integrated, multisectoral strategies addressing both immediate and underlying determinants of child growth. Strengthening implementation research and context-specific, evidence-informed approaches will be essential to sustain equitable reductions in childhood stunting