Educating Mothers on Optimal Feeding Practices to Prevent Stunting

Abstract

Stunting is a major public health concern that may be influenced by maternal nutritional status during pregnancy. Inadequate nutritional knowledge and dietary practices may contribute to insufficient intake of energy, protein, and iron. This study aimed to determine the effect of staged nutrition education on knowledge, attitudes, and energy, protein, and iron intake among pregnant women attending the mothers’ class. A quasi-experimental one-group pre-test–post-test design was used. The intervention consisted of two nutrition education sessions with repeated outcome assessments. Participants were pregnant women who actively attended monthly mothers’ classes. A total of 43 pregnant women participated from April to August 2026. Knowledge and attitudes were assessed using questionnaires, while energy, protein, and iron intake were assessed using 24-hour dietary recalls. Changes were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Knowledge and attitudes improved significantly after the intervention (p<0.001). Energy intake also increased significantly (p=0.003), with the proportion of participants classified as having adequate intake increasing from 37.2% at baseline to 83.7% at the second monitoring assessment. Protein intake remained relatively stable because 74.4% of participants were already classified as having adequate intake at baseline (p=0.006). Iron intake improved significantly (p<0.001), with adequate intake increasing from 7.0% at baseline to 76.7% at the first monitoring assessment and 60.5% at the second assessment. These findings indicate that staged nutrition education may improve maternal nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, and selected nutrient intake indicators. Future studies should use a control group and longer follow-up to strengthen causal inference.

Keywords: attitudes; education; energy; iron; knowledge; pregnant women; protein