Family Empowerment for Stunting Prevention in Children Aged 0-2 Years: A Concept Analysis

Stunting in children aged 0-2 years remains a major global health challenge, particularly in low‑ and middle‑income countries, with long‑term consequences for growth and development. Although family empowerment is widely promoted as a strategy for stunting prevention, its conceptualization within stimulation, early detection, and family‑centered care remains fragmented.

Guided by Walker and Avant's concept analysis framework, this study systematically examined literature retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar (July 2025). Studies were screened for relevance to family empowerment, caregiving, health literacy, and growth monitoring in the context of children aged 0-2 years.

Twenty‑seven eligible studies were synthesized to refine the construct of family empowerment in stunting prevention. Across the reviewed literature, family empowerment was consistently conceptualized as a multidimensional process characterized by five interrelated attributes-reflective decision‑making, self‑efficacy, participation, health literacy integration, and resource mobilization-positioning families as active agents in growth monitoring, stimulation, and timely intervention during the first 1000 days of life.

This analysis reframes family empowerment as a strategic, family‑centered pathway for stunting prevention. By advancing conceptual clarity within nursing and culturally diverse caregiving contexts, the findings inform practice and policy through the integration of empowerment indicators alongside growth monitoring and highlight priorities for future research focused on culturally responsive validation of empowerment measures.