Stunting is among the major problems faced by the government in modern times. Chronic malnutrition among children can be prevented by ensuring proper nutrition for future mothers. This prevention can be done as soon as these future mothers are in their teenage years.
Understanding the urgency, the Community Service Team from the Health Science Faculty at Udinus at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) initiated an event entitled ‘The Transformation of School Health Unit (SHU).’ The event was hosted in the form of a socialization in the UPGRIS Laboratory High School on Tuesday, March 13, 2025.
Firmansyah Kholiq Pradana, P.H., M.K.M., the Head of the Community Service team, mentioned that the theme of the event was ‘The Transformation of SHU at the UPGRIS Laboratory High School through a Sustainable Capacity Building of School Health Committee in an Attempt to Prevent Stunting.’
“The meaning of this event is to improve the capacity of the school health committee, as well as to give health education for young women concerning how to prevent stunting,” he uttered.
The socialization also featured several speakers from the community service team. There were three topics discussed in the event. The first topic was about the prevention of stunting from an earlier stage, which was delivered by Vilda Ana Veria S., S.Gizi., M.Gizi. On that occasion, students were also given blood booster tablets.
The second topic mainly discussed the policies of School Health Units, which was delivered by Muhammad Iqbal, M.K.M. The event concluded with a presentation on the role of School Health Units in stunting prevention, which was presented by Firmansyah Kholiq Pradana, P.H., M.K.M.
“We also conducted a pre-test to measure their understanding of the materials, as well as a post-test to evaluate if they understood. This is important to optimize the Trias of School Health Units. Hopefully, the results of this event could be adopted into the school policies as a long-term step in preventing stunting,” Firmansyah explained.
Warm Greetings from the School Staff
The socialization was initiated by the community service team from the Health Science Faculty at Udinus. This event was attended by dozens of students who were a part of the student council. The principal of the UPGRIS Laboratory High School, Nor Khoiriyah, M.Pd., was also present to welcome the team from Udinus. She was accompanied by the vice principal, Putri, S.Pd.
According to the principal, the event could serve as a platform for students to discuss and gather insight concerning nutrition to prevent stunting. In addition, the event could also improve the function of the School Health Unit by strengthening the roles of the school health committee.
“We hope that this event can enhance our students’ understanding in strengthening the roles of School Health Units in preventing stunting,” Nor Khoiriyah concluded. (Humas Udinus/Ika. Foto: Dok. Tim PKM Fkes)
