The definition of stunting has been widely asked, because stunting is a health issue which is still a priority for Indonesia’s national health to this day. The government is pursuing a target to reduce the prevalence of stunting by 14% in 2024. Starting from the health sector, religion, the private sector to the general public are asked to pay full attention to efforts to accelerate the reduction in the prevalence of stunting.
Even so, there are still many ordinary people who are unfamiliar with the term stunting. Therefore, in this article, complete information regarding stunting will be reviewed, starting from its definition, causes, and ways to prevent it.
The Definition of Stunting According to the Ministry of Health
The definition of the term stunting or which in English means stunted is defined by the Ministry of Health as a form of growth failure or growth faltering. Occurs due to the accumulation of insufficient nutritional intake for a long time until the baby is 24 months old. This condition can get worse if catch-up growth or catch-up growth is inadequate.
The benchmark for stunting is based on the PB/U or TB/U index which reflects the growth of body length or height according to age. Through this index, stunted conditions, namely children who are short or severely stunted, namely very short, can be identified. This index helps assess stunting conditions from nutritional intake which affects the anthropometry of the child’s body.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Health also mentioned that definition of stunting is a state of malnutrition. Malnutrition is related to nutritional insufficiency in the past to include chronic nutritional problems.
Causes of Stunting
The condition of stunting itself is not only influenced by nutrition, but indeed nutritional intake plays a significant role. The following are a number of causes of stunting that parents need to pay attention to, before, during, and after bringing their children into the world:
Malnutrition in the Long Term
As mentioned, nutrition is the main key in the problem of stunting, if nutrition is not fulfilled the risk of a child being indicated to be stunted is high. If it has touched on nutrition issues, then other sectors will also join in the discussion. Sectors such as social, cultural to economic are fields that affect the nutritional intake of mothers and children.
Mainly in the economic field, the existence of poverty can hamper the nutritional intake of mothers and children. Therefore, before deciding to have children, economic factors need to be considered to prevent the possibility of a child being indicated to be stunted.
Nutrition and nutritional intake that has not been met since before pregnancy and childbirth is what causes malnutrition for a long time. The nutrients needed for optimal growth and development include protein, iron, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and folic acid.
Mental Conditions and Hypertension in Mothers
The condition of the mother is also one that affects the health of the baby. Because the nutrition consumed by the mother is a source of child nutrition while still in the womb. Mothers with mental disorders such as depression and anxiety can affect the growth and development of children. Mothers with this condition tend not to pay proper attention to themselves, which also impacts on the condition of the child when in the womb, even when it is born. These are factors that can increase a child’s risk of stunting.
Therefore it is important to always maintain the health of pregnant women both physically and spiritually.
Poor Sanitation
The next cause of stunting is caused by environmental factors with poor sanitation. Sanitation or cleanliness that is not maintained properly can cause various kinds of infections and diseases. This then inhibits the growth and development of children. For example, when children are continuously exposed to dirt and contaminated water, their bodies will be susceptible to infection and disease because the body’s immune system does not work optimally.
Less Effective Parenting
Ineffective parenting patterns can also affect children’s health conditions and can even increase the risk of stunting. The parenting style highlighted here relates to the nutritional intake provided by parents for children. Lack of mother’s knowledge of nutritional concepts before, during and after delivery can increase the risk of stunting.
How to Prevent Children from Stunting
To prevent children from being at risk of stunting, it is necessary to prepare from the start. The following are things that need to be done to prevent stunting in children based on the period:
1. As a Teenager
The first step to prevent stunting starts when the mother is still a teenager. This is because nutritional intake and the health condition of young women greatly affect the condition of their children in the future. What needs to be done in the framework of early prevention of stunting is screening for anemia or low blood pressure.
If it is detected that adolescents have anemia, it needs to be overcome by suggesting the consumption of blood booster tablets. The anemia that affects adolescents is also accompanied by various health problems, including decreased immunity, decreased concentration, and unfitness. Anemia can even increase the risk of death when the mother gives birth, babies are born prematurely and even babies born tend to have low weight.
2. During Pregnancy
To prevent the risk of stunting, pregnant women are advised to regularly check their pregnancies at least 6 times, including twice monitoring the fetus using ultrasound. Pregnant women need to fulfill good nutritional intake during pregnancy. This intake can be fulfilled through healthy food and minerals including iron, folic acid to iodine.
3. Toddler Age
Immediately after the child is born, the mother needs to implement Early Breastfeeding Initiation or IMD. IMD itself is the practice of giving breast milk (ASI) to babies as soon as possible after birth, within the first hour after birth. This practice is important to help induce milk production for the first time and help the baby to start breastfeeding properly.
Furthermore, mothers need to pursue an exclusive breastfeeding program at least until the child is 6 months old before then continuing with healthy and nutritious complementary breastfeeding.
As babies grow, they also need routine immunizations as directed by the government. This step is taken to protect children from various possible diseases. Mothers and fathers also need to ensure that the lifestyle presented to their children is a clean and healthy lifestyle. Pay attention to the water you drink is clean water, with a healthy home sanitation system.
The next step is to monitor the child’s growth and development to avoid weight dropping or failure to thrive. Meanwhile, monitoring of child growth can be carried out using accurate anthropometric measurements on a regular basis at Posyandu.
The Most Accurate Anthropometric Measurement Tool for Early Detection of Stunting
The Anthropometry Kit – SK 17 produced by PT Solo Abadi Indonesia is a package of anthropometric measuring tools to detect stunting from toddler age. This package consists of a Portable Stadiometer, Infantometer Board, Digital Adult Scales, Digital Baby Scales, LILA Tape and also an Anthropometry Bag. The specifications for the Anthropometric Kit – SK 17 have been adjusted to KMK HK 01.07/MENKES/1919/2022 regarding complete specifications for the Anthropometric Kit package. Baby Scales and Digital Adult Scales from Solo Abadi are connected to the MetrisisApp application which can be downloaded on the Google Play Store.
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