The Role of Community Health Cadres in Community-Based Stunting Prevention: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: Stunting remains a major public health challenge requiring a community-based approach with active involvement from community health cadres. Objective: this study aimed to examine the role of community health cadres in stunting prevention by analyzing research trends, identifying factors influencing cadre performance, and exploring conceptual and methodological gaps in previous studies. Methods: A descriptive-synthetic literature review was conducted on 28 scientific articles retrieved through the Consensus search engine, including publications from reputable international journals (Q1–Q4) and nationally accredited Sinta-indexed journals. Data were analyzed using extraction and thematic synthesis to identify key themes related to cadres’ knowledge, skills, motivation, functions, social support, and health system support. Results: The findings show that community health cadres play multidimensional roles encompassing educational, technical, social, and collaborative functions in stunting prevention. However, the effectiveness of these roles depends on individual competencies, community acceptance, and the strength of health system support. The study concludes that cadres’ roles should be understood within a holistic community-based health system framework. Conclusion: these findings strengthen the conceptual understanding of community health cadres and provide a basis for developing more contextual, evidence-based, and sustainable community-based stunting prevention programs and future research.