Cultural Perception and Myths of Maternal and Infant Health Related to Stunting in Aceh Tengah Regency, Indonesia and The Opportunity for Intervention

Stunting in the first 1000 days of life has severe impact on quality of life of children in the future. Preventing and dealing with stunting is a priority to improve public health status globally. Stunting is influenced by many factors, including cultural and local customs that do not accurately fulfil the nutrition of mothers and babies.This qualitative exploration aimed to find an educational intervention management model based on local wisdom. Qualitative study was conducted in Aceh Tengah Regency in 2019. It involved 10 focus group discussions and 17 in-depth interviews. These data collection methods were chosen to gather comprehensive data. Informants were selected using purposive sampling to ensure maximum variation. A semi-structured quidance was used in data collection process. Thematic analysis was then employed to analyze the gathered data. Five main themes were identified concerning Perception on Myths of Maternal, infant Health, Stunting and How to Solve the Issues, including: culture or habits (how do culture and habits affect stunting), society perspective on stunting (fallacious perceptions); constraints on nutrition education programs, religious-based educational materials, and nutrition education intervention models based on religion and culture. Efforts to prevent stunting that are influenced by culture and community habits can be carried out with effective nutrition fulfillment education interventions using a cultural approach and a local wisdom approach. © 2024 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.