| Sumario: | • Undernutrition in children can negatively impact developmental growth. • Nutrition education programs increase mothers' knowledge about undernutrition. • Nutritional education programs boost mothers' confidence to manage undernutrition. • Nutritional education programs enhance mothers' complementary feeding practices. • Nutritional education programs improve undernutrition in children under 2 years. To assess effects of a nutritional education program on improving mothers' undernutrition knowledge, self-efficacy, and complementary feeding practices, and reducing undernutrition in children aged <2 years. A randomized controlled trial was conducted at a community healthcare center in Indonesia. The intervention group participated in a 4-week nutritional education program; the control group received standard care (n = 80; 1:1 ratio). Measurements consisted of mothers' knowledge of undernutrition, self-efficacy, and complementary feeding practices, and children's anthropometric indicators. Intervention group mothers improved their understanding of undernutrition, self-efficacy, and complementary feeding practices compared to the control group. Additionally, children in the intervention group exhibited increased mean Z-scores for stunting, wasting, and being underweight at 12 and 24 weeks following the intervention. Healthcare professionals can regularly provide nutritional education programs related to managing undernutrition and complementary feeding practices for mothers with children aged <2 years to prevent and improve undernutrition.
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