The Katamataku Team of the Faculty of Medicine (FK) of Universitas Indonesia (UI) led by Dr. dr. Yunia Irawati, Sp.M(K), held a community service activity titled “Deteksi Dini Stunting dan Kaitannya dengan Status Kesehatan serta Tumbuh Kembang Balita” (Early Detection of Stunting and Its Relation to Health Status and Toddler Growth and Development) in Sitanala, Tangerang, Banten. This activity is part of an effort to support the government’s program to reduce stunting rates in Indonesia, especially in the Banten Province.
“Early detection and providing proper nutrition are important keys to preventing stunting. We want to ensure that every child has the opportunity to grow and develop optimally,” said dr. Yunia Irawati. A total of 120 toddlers in the Sitanala Settlement underwent a series of comprehensive health checks. The examinations included measuring weight and height, examining eyes, skin, dental and oral health, and mouth and swallowing movements carried out by a joint team of specialist doctors and specialist dentists.
This step is expected to encourage parents to provide nutritious food for their children to prevent stunting. Based on SKI (Indonesian Health Survey) data in 2023, the prevalence of stunting in toddlers in Banten Province is still quite high, namely 17.6% in 2023.
In addition, each toddler receives a nutritious food package containing vegetables, vegetable protein, animal protein, and fruit, which is recommended by the teaching staff of the Department of Nutrition, FKUI, dr. Erfi Prafiantini, M.Kes and the teaching staff of the Department of Child Health Sciences, FKUI, dr. Titis Prawitasari, Sp.A (K). In this activity, dr. Erfi provided education to parents regarding providing food for children to get good nutrition, “Real food is healthier and can be processed by parents at home. We also support local food to avoid preservatives, sweeteners, or artificial colors, to provide better-balanced nutrition,” said dr. Erfi.
A total of 20 Posyandu cadres from RW 13 in the Sitanala settlement also participated in special training held at the end of November 2024. This training covered the correct procedure for anthropometric measurements, the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, and the preparation of healthy and nutritious MPASI (Complementary Foods for Breast Milk). The training was guided by a pediatrician from Sitanala Tangerang Hospital, dr. Henni Wahyu, Sp.A and a team from the Department of Nutrition, FKUI. “Posyandu cadres are the spearheads in detecting stunting cases early. With this training, we hope that the data obtained will be more accurate and can be the basis for making the right decisions,” said dr. Henni.
This activity received a positive response from Sitanala residents. Mrs. Fitri (29 years old), one of the parents of a toddler who participated in the activity, said she was happy to get a health check and get additional food. “I cooked all the ingredients straight away, and my child really liked it. Hopefully, activities like this will continue,” said Mrs. Fitri.
Other community service teams involved in this activity include, dr. Budiati Laksmitasari, Sp.KFR(K); dr. Kartika Qonita Putri, MARS; dr. Nadia Kartika Dewi; dr. Dian Estu, SpM(K); Dr. Mochamad Fahlevi Rizall; drg, SpKGA, Subsp.PKOA(K); Dr. Eva Fauziah, drg, SpKGA, Subsp.PKOA(K), Ardini Debilaurita, Surmita, and Ina Kusrini. With the collaboration between the Katamataku FKUI Team, health workers, and the community, this activity is expected to be the first step in creating a healthy generation free from stunting. This effort is also in line with the government’s vision to gradually eliminate stunting in Indonesia.
