Cultural barriers to stunting prevention: a case study of the Baduy indigenous tribe in Indonesia

Stunting is widely understood as a chronic manifestation of malnutrition. In Indonesia, the national prevalence of stunting in 2024 stands at 19.8%; however, in the Baduy tribe of Banten Province, stunting prevalence have been reported as high as 60%. This disparity raises a critical question: what cultural barriers significantly hinder stunting prevention within the Baduy community? To address this question, we conducted the present study that employed a qualitative research design with purposive sampling, drawing on in-depth data from 20 informants representing both Baduy Dalam and Baduy Luar tribes. From this study, we identify three dominant cultural barriers related to stunting: limited nutritional knowledge which resulting from restrictions on formal schooling, strict prohibitions against keeping or slaughtering four-legged animals which limit their nutritional intake, and constraints on the use of modern transportation. This study also demonstrates that processes of embodiment, objectification, and institutionalization in the development of cultural capital are effectively sustained within Baduy society; however, these processes also simultaneously reinforce social separation from the broader population and consolidate a traditional belief system that poses significant challenges to public health interventions. Addressing stunting in this context therefore requires culturally embedded strategies that institutionalize collaboration between traditional leaders (jaro) and health workers (bidan). Such strategies should be framed in modern health practices through locally meaningful symbols, ensuring alignment with Indonesia’s legal framework for child protection and stunting reduction, as articulated in Presidential Regulation No. 72 of 2021, Law No. 35 of 2014 on Child Protection, and Law No. 17 of 2023 on Health.