In a number of countries, one of which is Indonesia, stunting is considered a nutritional problem. A person's diet can be used to measure their health level, even toddlers. A person's diet is the reason why their physical and mental health are balanced. A person's nutritional status is determined by their nutritional intake at all times, not just at one time. As a result, the following is often seen as a predictor of next-generation competencies. People of all ages, even toddlers, suffer from eating disorders; society, industry, and the government need to consider the following (Mariatun et al., 2024).

Stunting may be caused by child development problems. A number of factors, including biological, medical, and sociocultural factors, may influence stunting. Insufficient consumption of macro and micronutrients is the physiological cause of stunting. Carbohydrates and proteins are very important for the body's functioning. Proteins supply a variety of amino acids that cells use for growth and development, while carbohydrates supply glucose, which is needed to produce cellular energy and maintain physiological function. Naturally, the absence of these two essential nutrients in the body will have a major impact on cell survival and proliferation (Claudia Siregar et al., 2023).

The nutrients a person eats as well as how well the body uses them determine their nutritional status. Many bodily processes, such as energy generation, development, tissue repair, as well as process regulation, depend on the following nutrients. Anthropometric measurements including height, weight, and age are usually used to assess the nutritional status of toddlers. Age is an important consideration when evaluating nutritional status. If age is not accurately assessed, nutritional status can be considered incorrect (Hamani et al., 2023).

One of the other factors that is a significant factor that influences the occurrence of stunting is the level of parental understanding of food. Because of their rapid physical and mental growth, children need full attention and support from parents, which can be served through a healthy diet. In order for parents to provide balanced nutrition to their children, they must have a strong understanding of nutrition. Aghadiati et al. (2023) stated that parents' attitudes and actions in choosing food for children are greatly influenced by their level of nutritional knowledge.

The amount and variety of food consumed is determined by the individual's economic level. Maximizing the amount of money spent to buy fresh food is included in the income effort to influence the quantity and quality of food. Conversely, individuals with low incomes are more likely to be unable to afford to buy nutritious food alternatives (Sahdhina et al., 2024).

Stunting Toddlers Is Inappropriate To reduce the frequency of stunting, nutritional problems in Indonesia must be addressed immediately. Monitoring nutritional status is very important to understand the onset and prevalence pattern of stunting. The following statistics are important to determine the most successful intervention techniques in maximizing community nutrition status and to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of community nutrition initiatives. The reduction in stunting incidence is an important indicator of how well the

community and the government collaborate in tackling the following nutritional problems (Angraini et al., 2020).

Stunting is a developmental and growth disorder in children that can be caused by social and emotional stress, recurrent diseases, or malnutrition, based on WHO. Based on the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia (2019), toddlers are said to be stunting if their Z-Score is less than or similar to -2 standard deviation (SD) or less than or similar to -3 standard deviation (SD). Babies under two years old do not hold the best IQ (Fitriani & Darmawi, 2022).

A study in 2020 found that around 149 million children, or 22.0% of the child population, suffer from stunting (Nahalomo et al., 2022). Based on statistics from JME and the World Bank UNICEF on stunting, Indonesia ranks 115 out of 151 countries worldwide with a proportion of 30%, still larger than neighboring countries such as Thailand (10.5%) and Malaysia (20.7%). In 2019, around 6.6 million children were stunted, and the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to maximize this number to 7 million (15.0%) in 2020 (Amalia et al., 2023).

The stunting rate in North Sumatra province decreased by only 2.2%, from 21.1% in 2022 to 18.9% in 2023, based on SKI statistics. Nine cities and districts experienced an increase in underdevelopment rates, one district did not change, and six other districts experienced a decrease. The target prevalence of stunting among toddlers in North Sumatra Province in 2023 has not been met because the prevalence is still 18.55% in 2022. One of the districts with the highest stunting rate, at 19.90%, is Deli Serdang Regency (Pokhrel, 2024).

A total of 25 mothers under five from the Pematang Johar Health Center service area participated in the initial survey that became the basis for the study's findings. When it was known that only five mothers in Deli Serdang had received information about stunting from twenty people, the researcher was interested in carrying out further research. "The relationship between parental knowledge, nutritional status and family income with the incidence of stunting in toddlers in the working area of the Pematang Johar Health Center".

Stunting is a health problem that is still a big challenge in Indonesia, especially in the group of toddlers. Various studies show that stunting is not only caused by poor nutritional intake, but is also influenced by various factors such as socioeconomic conditions, parental knowledge, and parenting. The intake of macro and micronutrients such as proteins and carbohydrates is very important in the growth and development process of children. Imbalances or nutritional deficiencies can interfere with the body's metabolic processes, slow down physical development, and even have an impact on children's intelligence (Claudia Siregar et al., 2023). In addition, anthropometric methods such as weight and height measurements are often used to accurately assess the nutritional status of toddlers (Hamani et al., 2023).

Parents' knowledge, especially mothers, about nutrition plays an important role in efforts to prevent stunting. Parents who understand the importance of balanced nutrition tend to be able to provide better quality food for their children. Income level is also a significant factor because it affects the

ability of families to provide nutritious and quality food (Sahdhina et al., 2024). National data shows that the stunting rate in Indonesia is still high, even compared to neighboring countries. In North Sumatra, the prevalence of stunting has not met the reduction target, and Deli Serdang Regency is among the areas with the highest number (Pokhrel, 2024). These findings encourage the need for further research on the relationship between parental knowledge, nutritional status, and family income to stunting incidence, such as those conducted in the Pematang Johar Health Center work area.

Data collected from 44 people in the Pematang Johar Health Center area in November 2024 on the relationship between the prevalence of stunting toddlers and variables such as family income, nutritional status, and parental knowledge became the basis for this conclusion.

From the characteristics of mothers based on their education and last profession, it can be seen from the data of 44 participants, 10 people only graduated from elementary school, 6 people graduated from junior high school, 52.3% graduated from high school, and 11.4% had a bachelor's education. The results of the study showed that out of 44 people, 8 people (18.2%) were unemployed and 36 people (81.8%) were in the labor force. Based on the data, there were 18 humans (or 40.9% of the total) in the age range of toddlers 0–24 months, and 26 mansuia (or 59.1% of the total) were in the age group of toddlers 25–60 months. Twenty (45.5%) of the 48 participants were female, while twenty-four (54.5%) were male.

Based on the data collected on nutritional status, most of the 44 children under five were classified as the following criteria: good nutritional status (n=19 or 43.2%), poor nutrition status (12 or 27.3%), malnutrition status (2 or 2.3%),

nutritional status at risk (6 or 13.6%), overnutrition status (2 or 2.3%), or

over-nutrition status (5 or 11.4%). Overall, 20 (or 45.5% of the total) scored well on the Parental Knowledge scale, while 16 (or 36.4% of the total) scored moderate and 8 (18.2%) scored poorly.

Of the 44 participants, 15 (34.1%) were from high-income families, 22 (50.1%) were from middle-income families, and 7 (15.9%) were from low-income families. Based on data on stunting in toddlers, 29 (20.9%) of 44 toddlers answered "yes", while 15 (34.1%) answered "no".

Based on research using the Parent Information indicator Research Results, the research carried out in the Pematang Johar Health Center area in 2024

shows that there is a relationship between parental information and the prevalence of stunting in toddlers. The incidence of stunting of toddlers in the Pematang Johar Health Center area in 2024 was found to be related to nutritional status, based on research using nutritional status measurements. The results of the study show that the degree of malnutrition in toddlers around the Pematang Johar Health Center is related to household income.

The results of the following study are intended to help families better understand how the relationship between parenting ability, family income, and nutritional status with the occurrence of mental retardation.

Furthermore, the results of the following research are expected to be used as a basis for further research, so as to allow the use of more samples and require a wider scope of research.