stimulation of child growth and development and nutritional status among children aged 24-59 months: a cross-sectional in indonesia

Background: stunting remains a significant global nutritional issue, with indonesia’s prevalence at 21.5% in 2023, and jember regency in east java recording a high prevalence of 29.7%. inadequate care, including insufficient stimulation and child activities, is identified as a contributing factor to stunting. this study aims to analyze the relationship between family-provided growth and development stimulation and the incidence of stunting in children aged 24-59 months in jember regency.materials and methods: this study used a quantitative analytical method with a case-control design. a total of 174 respondents were selected through stratified random sampling, comprising 87 stunted children in the case group and 87 children with normal nutritional status in the control group, all from the working areas of rambipuji, sumberjambe, and ledokombo community health centers in jember regency. data were collected using questionnaires on family and children characteristics, and family-provided stimulation, along with anthropometric measurements (height and weight) analyzed using who anthro software. the relationship between variables was analyzed using the chi-square test.results: there is a significant relationship between family-provided growth and development stimulation and the incidence of stunting in children aged 24-59 months in jember regency (χ2 = 7.452; p = 0.006). children who received adequate stimulation had a 2.43 times greater chance of not experiencing stunting than those who received inadequate stimulation (or = 2.43; 95% ci = 1.32-4.47).conclusion: adequate family-provided stimulation plays a significant role in preventing stunting among children aged 24-59 months. strengthening parental awareness and skills in delivering age-appropriate stimulation should be integrated into community health programs, as part of efforts to reduce stunting.