The Influence of Family Income and Parenting Styles of Toddlers on Stunting Incidence at Binjai City Health Center in 2025

Stunting remains a persistent public health concern in Indonesia, particularly in areas with disadvantaged socioeconomic conditions. Binjai City reported a stunting prevalence of 25.6%, exceeding the national prevalence of 19.8%. This study aimed to examine the associations of family income and parenting styles with stunting among children under five years of age at selected community health centers in Binjai City in 2025. An observational analytical study with a case-control design was conducted involving 80 children aged 0–59 months, comprising 40 stunted cases and 40 non-stunted controls selected through purposive sampling and matched at a 1:1 ratio based on age and village of residence. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests and binary logistic regression. Bivariate analysis revealed significant associations between stunting and anthropometric characteristics (p = 0.003; OR = 3.96), democratic parenting (p = 0.034; OR = 4.11), authoritarian parenting (p = 0.022; OR = 3.40), permissive parenting (p = 0.007; OR = 11.32), and maternal knowledge (p = 0.003; OR = 13.00). In contrast, family income, low birth weight, and maternal education were not significantly associated with stunting. Multivariable analysis identified maternal knowledge as the strongest associated factor (p = 0.005; OR = 43.054), followed by democratic parenting, which was identified as a protective factor (p = 0.005; OR = 17.467), whereas authoritarian and permissive parenting were associated with increased odds of stunting. The regression model yielded a Nagelkerke R² of 0.624 and an overall classification accuracy of 80%. The findings suggested that maternal knowledge and parenting styles were significantly associated with stunting, whereas family income showed no statistically significant association. Strengthening maternal nutrition education and providing targeted parenting support are therefore recommended to support stunting prevention efforts.