ICERNAS (Intelligent Mother for a Health Child) a smart education model to enhance pregnant women’s knowledge in preventing stunting

Stunting remains a major public health concern that affects children's physical and cognitive development, particularly in Indonesia where the prevalence is still high. In South Buton Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, stunting increased 1.38% from 2024 to mid-2025, highlighting the need for effective preventive interventions. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the ICERNAS (Intelligent Mother for a Healthy Child) model in improving maternal knowledge on parenting practices and balanced nutrition as efforts to prevent stunting. A quasi-experimental design using a Two-Group Pretest-Posttest approach was applied. Forty pregnant women were selected through stratified random sampling and assigned equally to intervention and control groups. Data were collected using validated questionnaires measuring parenting and nutrition knowledge. Statistical analysis used paired sample t-tests and independent t-tests. Results showed significant improvements in the intervention group, where parenting knowledge increased from 61.80 to 77.20 (p = 0.001) and nutrition knowledge from 60.40 to 78.90 (p = 0.001). The control group demonstrated minimal, non-significant changes. Between-group comparisons confirmed meaningful differences in knowledge gains. These findings indicate that ICERNAS, which integrates structured education on parenting and nutrition, is effective in strengthening maternal knowledge and offers a promising strategy to reduce stunting, particularly in high-risk coastal areas