Stunting is among the serious health conditions experienced by children. This condition can be defined as a chronic malnutrition mainly experienced by children. As for the cause, it is caused by the lack of nutrition consumed by the said children.
A child suffering from stunting can be seen from their unusually low height and weight compared to other children of their age. This condition may occur as a result of malnutrition both of the child and mother, which would later result in a lack of proper food and treatment in their early stage of growth.
In addition to those two factors, the lack of proper living room and environmental sanitation may also be contributing factors to this health condition. Additionally, this particular illness could cause children to not be able to achieve their highest physical and cognitive potential of their age. This is because they do not have the vitamins and minerals necessary for their bodies to function.
The particular phenomenon has garnered a spotlight from both national and international governments. The Indonesian government in 2024 has targeted the stunting prevalence to 14 percent. In 2019, according to basic medical research, stunting in Indonesia reached 27,6 percent. Meanwhile, in 2023, the percentage has decreased to 21,6 percent. In addition to governmental roles, the effort taken by society can also contribute to this decrease in the percentage of stunting.
Societal Role
Societal role is also essential in decreasing the stunting rate in Indonesia. In an attempt to reduce the stunting rate, a local community can carry out various steps, including ensuring and securing food supplies in a household, assuring medical concerns through good services and treatments, and facilitating a decent education for children. The ‘Jogo Tonggo’ procedure during the pandemic can also be implemented to decrease the stunting rate.
“At times, the mothers also occasionally experience stress caused by the environment, including garnering negative comments , which may result in bad parenting. Thus, a local community holds the role to serve as a shield from negative comments received by children and mothers,” Vilda Ana Veria Setyawati, SGz., M.Gizi., a nutrition expert from Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) explained.
Vera Vilda added that the National Health and Nutrition Day, on January 25th, 2024, was a perfect momentum to decrease the stunting prevalence in Indonesia. Currently, families must pay attention to sufficient nutrition for children, which is referred to as Baby and Children Food Providence (PMBA). The mother must breastfeed a baby aged 0-6 months. Following this process, the mother must also provide healthy food for the children.
The intake of protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals must also be adjusted to the age of the children. Vilda also reminded parents to avoid putting too much salt and sugar in the food consumed by their under a year of age children. She emphasized that providing animal protein may be a good alternative.
“I even see many parents feeding their children with merely a soup. This must be avoided as soup normally holds a little of nutrients and protein,” she revealed.
Crucial Role of College Institutions
A university with many professionals and the ability to conduct research must play a role by becoming the Center of Knowledge in their respective region. Currently, universities take part in handling this stunting phenomenon. This specific role has been taken by Udinus by involving students and faculty members in decreasing the prevalence of stunting in Indonesia, particularly in Central Java.
In an attempt to fulfill its role, Udinus partnered with the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) of Semarang to host a counseling session dedicated to locals. The session mainly concerned the prevention of stunting aimed at housewives in Bandarharjo, Semarang. In addition, there was also a discussion concerning balanced nutrients with local housewives.
Previously, Vilda, alongside her fellow faculty members, had launching the Si Gembul App. Furthermore, she explained that the app was an Android app equipped with a feature to calculate the nutrient status of a toddler, as well as calculating the stunting status, which can determine whether the nutrient is good or bad for children. Additionally, it also holds an educational feature, which could benefit the committee at the health post.
“Tindak lanjutnya, kami juga mengajak mahasiswa untuk terlibat langsung dalam penanganan stunting di Jateng, dengan pendampingan kepada 20 desa di Temanggung dengan total 119 kader. Stunting itu masalah yang bahaya namun banyak tak disadari oleh masyarakat luas perlu kontribusi dari semua pihak,” tutupnya. (Humas Udinus/Alex. Foto: Humas Udinus)
