Mothers' Level Of Knowledge Regarding The Importance Of Vitamin D During Pregnancy For Stunting Prevention

Stunting is a chronic growth disorder in children characterized by a height or length below the standards established by the World Health Organization (WHO). Maternal nutrition during pregnancy plays an essential role in preventing stunting, particularly through adequate vitamin D intake, which supports calcium metabolism, bone development, and fetal growth. This study aimed to assess changes in mothers’ knowledge regarding the importance of vitamin D during pregnancy for stunting prevention following a health education intervention and to describe respondents’ characteristics based on age and educational background. This research employed a quantitative approach using a pre-experimental design with a one-group pretest-posttest model. The study was conducted in RW 06, Kebon Bawang Urban Village, Tanjung Priok District, North Jakarta, from July to September 2025, involving 50 mothers selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires administered before and after the educational intervention, which provided information about stunting risks and the importance of vitamin D during pregnancy. The collected data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test with the assistance of SPSS. The findings indicated that 25 respondents (50%) were under 25 years old, while 25 respondents (50%) had completed elementary or junior high school education. Before the intervention, 21 respondents (42%) demonstrated moderate knowledge, 18 (36%) had poor knowledge, and 11 (22%) had good knowledge. Following the educational intervention, 47 respondents (94%) experienced an improvement in their knowledge scores, while 3 (6%) showed no change, and none experienced a decrease. The Wilcoxon test revealed a statistically significant difference between pretest and posttest knowledge scores (Z = -6.004; p < 0.001). These findings demonstrate that health education can significantly improve mothers’ knowledge regarding vitamin D during pregnancy and its importance in stunting prevention. Continuous and accessible maternal health education is therefore essential to strengthen community awareness and support early stunting prevention efforts.