Factors Affecting the Knowledge and Motivation of Health Cadres in Stunting Prevention Among Children in Indonesia

Purpose: Stunting is a public health problem in Indonesia with a relatively high incidence, thereby making its prevention a priority for the Indonesian government. It potentially causes short and long effects on the quality of human resources as well as the productivity of stunted children when they grow up. Therefore, prevention and early detection efforts are needed by health professionals and cadres. Earlier studies have identified complexities associated with the determinant factors of stunting. This study aims to examine the association between sociodemographic factors as well as the knowledge and motivation of health cadres in stunting prevention in West Java.

Methods: A correlational study with a cross-sectional approach was conducted on health cadres samples from 8 districts/cities in West Java Province namely Karawang, Tasikmalaya, Garut, Bandung, Subang, Sukabumi, Cianjur, and West Bandung. A total of 363 health cadres participated and the sampling technique used is the stratified method. The data were collected using a questionnaire developed specifically for this study and were analyzed using a correlation with chi-square test and presented in the form of a frequency distribution.

Results: The results showed the majority of health cadres namely 81.27% had good knowledge, which was significantly influenced by education level and marital status with a P-value <0.05. Meanwhile, approximately half of the respondents had moderate motivation with 47.66%, while one-third or 39.12% had high motivation. This motivation was significantly influenced by education level, marital status, and age with p <0.05.

Conclusion: Based on the results, it was concluded that the roles and functions of health cadres need to be improved in the prevention and early detection of stunting in West Java by providing continuous guidance, stunting prevention training, and award presentations.