The Influence of Essential Health Efforts on the Success of the Stunting Program through the Work Commitment of Health Workers at the Kendari City Health Center

Abstract

 This study aims to analyze the influence of Essential Public Health Efforts (SMEs) on the success of stunting prevention programs through the mediating role of health workers' work commitments at the Kendari City Health Center. This study uses a quantitative approach with an explanatory design to explain the causal relationship between variables. The research was carried out in May-July 2024, involving 105 health workers as a purposively selected sample. Data was collected using questionnaires and analyzed using Partial Least Squares (PLS).

The results showed that Essential SMEs, such as health promotion and environmental sanitation, had a direct positive influence on the success of the stunting program (path coefficient 0.776). However, this influence became more significant through the mediation of work commitments of health workers (indirect effect of 0.740). Work commitment, which includes affective, normative, and continuity commitments, showed a strong influence on stunting programs (path coefficient 0.943). *R Square* analysis revealed that 61.6% of the variability of work commitment was explained by the implementation of Essential SMEs, while 94.4% of the success of the stunting program was explained by the combination of Essential SMEs and work commitment. A high Q Square value (0.944) indicates that the model has excellent predictive ability.

The conclusion of the study emphasizes the importance of the role of work commitment as a mediator in strengthening the relationship between the implementation of Essential SMEs and the success of stunting programs. The implications of the study recommend strengthening the commitment of health workers through training, incentives, and better human resource management to optimize the impact of Essential SMEs in supporting national priority programs, such as stunting prevention.