Leveraging Mobile Applications for Stunting Prevention in Indonesia: A Scoping Review

Background: Stunting, a critical public health issue in Indonesia, affects child growth and development, with long-term impacts on cognitive and economic potential. Mobile applications (mHealth) are emerging as transformative tools for addressing stunting by enhancing early detection, education, and intervention. However, their effectiveness in improving maternal knowledge and child nutritional outcomes remains underexplored. Objective: This scoping review evaluates the role of mobile applications in stunting prevention in Indonesia. Methods: A scoping review was conducted following PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Relevant studies published between 2018 and 2024 were identified using electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Studies were included if they focused on mobile-based stunting prevention applications in Indonesia and reported outcomes related to child growth, maternal knowledge, or nutritional improvements. Quality appraisal was performed using validated tools, and thematic analysis was applied to synthesise data. Results: Out of 106 identified records, 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies highlighted the diverse functionalities of mHealth applications targeting stunt prevention, including early detection, educational interventions, behavioural change support, and monitoring systems. Applications like AECAS and Edu Stunting significantly improved maternal knowledge and attitudes (p < 0.05), while tools like SCATION enhanced skills for early stunting detection. Monitoring systems, such as Smart Ting, facilitated growth tracking and resource allocation. Although users reported high satisfaction, challenges such as limited long-term impact on nutritional outcomes and cultural misconceptions were noted. Conclusion: Mobile applications exhibit promising potential in addressing stunting through early detection, education, and intervention. Future research should prioritise longitudinal studies and user-centred designs to enhance scalability and sustainability.