Effectiveness of a Precede–Proceed Model-Based Health Promotion Intervention on Evaluating Changes In Mothers’ Knowledge of Stunting Prevention in Indonesian Communities

Abstract

Introduction: Stunting remains a persistent public health challenge in Indonesia, with significant implications for children’s long-term health and national development.The PRECEDE–PROCEED Model (PPM) offers a comprehensive framework for designing effective health education interventions, yet its application in community-based stunting prevention in Indonesia remains underexplored. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify and launch an increase in maternal knowledge before and after providing a health promotion intervention on stunting prevention. Patients and methods: The research method used was a pre-experimental study that used a one-group pre-test and post-test design involving 52 mothers of children under five years in Cimahi, West Java. A 20-item validated questionnaire was administered before and after a structured 90-minute health education session based on the PPM framework. Educational content focused on nutrition, hygiene, immunization, and child stimulation. Results: Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test due to non-normal score distribution. Research results show participants’ mean knowledge score increased significantly from 18.67 (SD = 1.79) to 19.69 (SD = 0.96) post-intervention (p = 0.00006). Most participants (73%) achieved a perfect score after the session, indicating a positive effect of the intervention. Reduced score variability suggests enhanced and more uniform knowledge dissemination. Conclusion: A health promotion intervention using the PRECEDE–PROCEED Model effectively improved maternal knowledge of stunting prevention. The participatory and contextualized approach demonstrated strong potential for replication in community health settings across Indonesia. Further studies should explore long-term behavioral outcomes and scalability. Research limitations: Pre-experimental research design without a control group, so no comparison group that does not receive the intervention. The sample size is relatively small and limited to one location. Outcome measurement is only on short-term maternal knowledge. Focus only on maternal knowledge without measuring other aspects related to stunting prevention.