Effectiveness of Stunting Education to Peers: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: Stunting is a public health problem that has a long-term impact on the quality of future generations. In this case, adolescent girls as future mothers play a strategic role in prevention efforts. The low knowledge and awareness of adolescent girls about nutrition can increase the risk of stunting in children in the future. Peer-based stunting education is considered effective because communication between friends is easier to accept and can create positive behavior change. The purpose of this scoping review is to analyze the effectiveness of stunting education to peers.

Methods: The method used in this study is a scoping review by determining keywords using the PICO format, namely P (adolescents), I (peer education), C (zero), O (knowledge of stunting) which captures articles from national and international journals in English and Indonesian, using the PRISMA-ScR method. The databases used were PubMed and Google Scholar with the search limit of research study category and publication year 2015-2025. Found in the initial search as many as 1,598 articles and filtered so that 7 articles were synthesized.

Results: Of the 7 studies identified, peer education was shown to increase knowledge about stunting by 34-65% and promote behavior change such as increased consumption of nutritious foods. Effective mechanisms include the use of digital media and participatory approaches. Key challenges include limited peer capacity in technical materials and infrastructure access gaps in remote areas.

Conclusion: Stunting education conducted through a peer approach significantly improves adolescent knowledge.