The Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) conducted in 2021 shows that the prevalence rate of stunting in Banten is still above the national average, at 24.5%. Of this figure, Pandeglang contributed the most, which is 37.8%. The Pandeglang Regency Government has actually made efforts to accelerate the reduction of stunting rates which is regulated through Regent Regulation Number 28 of 2019 concerning the Acceleration of Stunting Reduction.
This effort does not seem to be effective to deal with the problem of stunting in Pandeglang Regency. Therefore, a more massive, efficient, and effective effort is needed to overcome the problem of stunting. This is why students of the Faculty of Law (FH) Universitas Indonesia (UI) and the Faculty of Public Health (FKM UI) UI collaborated to hold a socialization on stunting prevention for pregnant women in Kalanganyar Village, Labuan District, Pandeglang Regency, Banten. This socialization aimed to provide education to the community regarding the problem of stunting.
The main cause of stunting is the unmet nutritional needs of children. Basically, it is related to the fulfillment of human rights in children. Thus, the material presented in this socialization included symptoms that occur throughout the pregnancy phase, fulfillment of child nutrition to prevent stunting, and children’s rights to nutritious food as a form of parental care.
There are several ways to prevent stunting in children. First, fulfill the nutritional needs of pregnant women. The family as the closest environment must have an awareness that the nutritional intake of pregnant women needs to be considered. Second, give the baby complete immunization.
Third, the mother must have her pregnancy checked regularly so that the condition of the fetus is monitored, and the mother’s health can be maintained. Fourth, give exclusive breastfeeding for babies who are at least 6 months old. It is because the first hundred days of a child’s life is a golden period when the child’s nutrition can still be improved, one of which is by providing exclusive breastfeeding.
Breast milk is the most perfect intake that contains all the nutrients needed by babies. For babies aged 0-6 months, breast milk can be given without adding any other food or drink. For babies aged 0-6 months, breast milk can be given without adding any other food or drink. The content in breast milk is easier to digest than formula milk, so breast milk is the most sterile, economical, and fits the needs, especially for the digestive system and immune system of infants that are not yet fully formed.
For infants, breast milk reduces the risk of infections, diseases, allergies and malnutrition; increases the intelligence of infants; and creates a physical and emotional bond with the mother. Meanwhile, breast milk can burn calories, so it accelerates weight loss after pregnancy and reduces the mother’s risk of uterine cancer, breast cancer, and osteoporosis.
The participants, who were pregnant women, received souvenirs in the form of cookbooks containing practical ways to make complementary foods for breastfeeding and balanced nutritious foods from each component of the 4 healthy 5 perfect food, such as rice, eggs, fruits, milk, and vitamins. In addition, health checks were also opened for free to find out the health condition of the fetus, such as measuring height and weight, measuring blood pressure, and checking the status of blood content in the body.
Head of Kalanganyar Village, Entoh Saputra, said the socialization activities carried out by FH and FKM UI students were very useful for pregnant women because not many pregnant women knew information related to stunting. In fact, stunting has a wide and dangerous impact. In addition, the health checks provided by the students were also useful for pregnant women to know the health condition of their fetuses.
“We really appreciate and are grateful for the activities organized by UI students today. This stunting prevention socialization activity is very much needed by pregnant women, considering that one of the factors for stunting is the food consumed by the mother during pregnancy. The knowledge conveyed in the material presentation session and the health checks provided are very useful for pregnant women to know the health conditions of themselves and the fetus in their wombs,” said Saputra.
The socialization activity was held on Saturday (1/10) at Musholla Nurul Iman. The activity entitled “Improving Child Nutrition as an Effort to Protect Children in the Health Sector Post Natural Disasters” was an implementation of the community care grant program organized by the UI’s Directorate of Student Affairs.
This community service was led by Alya Zhafira with the team: Briliana Suci Dwiana, Annisa Sucita Fitri, Indi Millatul Aula, and Satrio Alif Febriyanto from FH UI, as well as Balqis Khalisa and Ananda Oktaviani from UI. The entire team was supervised by a lecturer at the Faculty of Law UI Heru Susetyo, S.H., LL.M., M.Sc., M.Ag., Ph.D.
“We are very enthusiastic about carrying out stunting prevention socialization activities because this activity is an opportunity to directly solve problems in the community. By bringing the spirit of contribution from the team, we hope that the activities carried out today will have an impact on the progress of the nation’s future generations because paying attention to the health of pregnant women essentially ensures the quality of the nation’s next generation,” said Alya.
