Effectiveness of IEC on the Care of Pregnant Women and Children During the First 1000 Days of Life in Reducing the Prevalence of Stunting in Simoro Village, Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi

Backgrounds: The prevalence of stunting in Central Sulawesi remains high at 27.2%, surpassing the national prevalence of stunting. In Sigi Regency, the prevalence of stunting reaches 26.4% (1). This figure is still far from the Indonesian presidential target of reducing stunting prevalence to 14% by 2024. One strategy to reduce stunting is to carry out applied research aimed at increasing mothers' knowledge and attitudes about the first 1000 days of life. This research aims to analyze the effectiveness of Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) programs on the care of pregnant women and children during the first 1000 days of life, including antenatal care (ANC) visits, iron (Fe) tablet supplementation, colostrum provision, exclusive breastfeeding, and continued breastfeeding up to 2 years, on the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of respondents. Method: This pre-experimental research used a one-group pretest-posttest design and was carried out in Simoro Village, Sigi Regency, from June to July 2024. The research population included all pregnant women and mothers of children under two years (Baduta) in the area. A sample of 40 respondents was selected using purposive sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The IEC intervention on the first 1000 days of life used lectures, question-and-answer sessions, demonstrations, and leaflets. Pretests and posttests were administered using questionnaires to measure the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of the respondents regarding the first 1000 days of life. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test. Results: The Wilcoxon test results showed significant improvements in the knowledge (p = 0.002), attitudes (p = 0.008), and behaviors (p = 0.037) of the respondents. Conclusion: The IEC intervention on the care of pregnant women and children during the first 1000 days of life positively influenced the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of the respondents. Routine IEC activities using varied methods should be carried out to improve the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of pregnant women and mothers of children under two years (Baduta) as a strategy to prevent stunting.