Exploring nonlinear relationships between household conditions and child stunting: evidence from the rural level in Malang regency, Indonesia

Purpose Child stunting remains a critical development concern in rural areas where improvements in household welfare do not always translate into proportional gains in child growth outcomes. This study aims to explore how Economic level, Children’s diet and Environmental condition are associated with nutritional and physical dimensions of child stunting in rural communities of Malang Regency, Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach The analysis uses cross-sectional primary survey data collected from 150 mothers with children under five years of age. A threshold spline regression approach within a Bayesian estimation framework is applied to explore possible nonlinear relationships. Findings The results indicate that the strength of association between household conditions and child stunting varies across different levels of adequacy. Economic level shows stronger associations with nutritional outcomes beyond a threshold point, while the relationship with physical growth becomes more moderate. Children’s diet demonstrates relatively stable associations with nutritional indicators, whereas Environmental condition shows heterogeneous patterns across different segments of adequacy. Research limitations/implications The study is based on data from rural communities within one regency and therefore does not aim to establish causal relationships or broadly generalizable conclusions. Practical implications Identifying locally specific nonlinear patterns may support more targeted rural development interventions focusing on vulnerable households. Social implications Improving nutrition-related household conditions may contribute to enhanced child well-being and long-term human capital formation. Originality/value The study contributes by illustrating how threshold-based nonlinear analysis can be used to explore variations in known determinants of child stunting within a local development context.