Climate-Related Pathways to Child Stunting: Implications for Community Health Nursing - A Scoping Review

Climate change is a key factor exacerbating the incidence of stunting in children. Various climate events, such as droughts, floods, extreme temperatures, and disruptions to the growing season, lead to reduced food security, lower agricultural productivity, and diminished access to nutritious food and clean water. In this context, strengthening community-based health services is crucial, given their role in monitoring child growth, providing nutritional counseling, and facilitating referrals-all of which contribute to efforts to reduce stunting.

This review aims to synthesize scientific evidence regarding the relationship between exposure to climate change and the risk of stunting, as well as the recommended policies. This will subsequently be reflected in community-based nurse services to support the development of more integrated and climate-responsive public health strategies.

A scoping review was conducted using the PCC framework: Population (children under five years old), Concept (climate-related determinants of stunting), and Context (within a global scope). Searches were conducted across PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, ProQuest, and Web of Science, supplemented by manual searches in January 2026. Of the 5,113 identified articles, 763 articles were screened based on title and abstract, and ten articles met the inclusion criteria after full-text review. Included studies were original research published between 2016 and 2026 that addressed climate change and stunting. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist, and thematic analysis was applied to synthesize the findings.

Three principal themes were identified: the direct impact of climate change on child growth and stunting; the indirect impact through food security, environmental conditions, socioeconomic determinants, health, and regional variations; and policies and climate change adaptation strategies for child nutrition.

Overall, climate change contributes to child stunting through interconnected pathways, highlighting the essential role of community health nurses.