Indonesia is one of the countries that is still struggling with severe nutrition problems. This is evidenced by many cases of malnutrition in child health problems. Malnutrition is an impact of nutritional status. According to UNICEF, stunting has happened in children aged 0 to 59 months, with a height that below minus; based on child growth standards from WHO.
Stunting in Indonesia ranks fifth in the world. This is higher than in other countries in Southeast Asia, such as Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand. Causes of stunting are not simple; it caused by many factors like environment, economy and health facilities.
Causes of Stunting in Children
Causes of stunting are very multidimensional and requires effort from parties to reduce the stunting children number in Indonesia. These following are summary of stunting causes in Indonesia:
1. Breast/ Mother Milk and Complementary Foods in Breastfeeding
Lack of mother knowledge has an impact on not good enough in parenting both on health and nutrition; before and during pregnancy, and postpartum. The facts show that 60% of children aged 0-6 months are not able to get exclusive breastfeeding. Then, 2 out of 3 children aged 0-24 months do not receive complementary foods in breastfeeding.
Complementary foods in breastfeeding serve to introduce food to the baby and meet the nutritional needs when the baby stops drinking milk. Complementary foods in breastfeeding are also needed to form the immune system; it can against various foods.
2. Low Quality of Healthcare Services
Healthcare Services for mothers during pregnancy from Antenatal Care (ANC) stated that quality early learning of being a mother is limited. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and World Bank stated that the attendance at Posyandu was drop, so the children did not have adequate immunization access.
3. The Nutritious Food is Expensive
The expensive nutritious food causes minimum access of nutritious food in every family.
4. Poor Sanitation
Poor sanitation and access to clean water are widely found. According to a survey, shows that 1 in 5 households in Indonesia still pooping in public space. Then, 1 to 3 households do not have access to drinking clean water.
How to Reduce Stunting
Stunting that has already happened to a child must be an intensive concern. Stunting has an impact on a child’s cognitive abilities. Children who have stunting should be watched when puberty begins; because the child’s growth will be fast. Therefore, stunting children will get nutrition and optimal sleep time.
Hormones from nutrition will work at night from 12:00 to 01:00 am and will work optimally if a child can sleep well. Besides, physical activity also needs to do like sports that can support a child’s height growth.
Furthermore, stunting children should change their living environment into clean. The living environment is really decisive in the pursuit of a child’s height growth that has stunting.
Measurement Tools for Stunting
Although a stunting child can strive with intensive growth efforts, his cognitive abilities will be difficult to match a child who has not stunted. Therefore, it is very important to prevent stunting in children. It can be happened by paying attention to its growth periodically; from the womb to 1000 days after birth.
Anthropometric measurements are an important part of measuring children’s growth. By measuring children’s height every 6 months, the result can be analyzed and evaluated; whether his nutrition already fulfilled or not.
Measuring instruments used in detecting stunting is an anthropometry kit. Anthropometry kits contain several tools used to measure the anthropometry of the human body. One of the most commonly used tools is anthropometer.
Anthropometer consists of several tubes that are used in an arranged manner to measure vertical dimensions of the human body, such as height, hands, feet and so on. There is also a Spreading Caliper used to measure in detail the parts of the human body that are curved like head.
Moreover, Sliding Caliper is a tool used to measure horizontal dimensions like the length of the hand palm and the length of the foot and face.
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