Parental knowledge and public awareness are important factors in reducing stunting rates in Indonesia. Therefore, various activities aimed at educating the public about preventing stunting must continue to be carried out. Such as those organized by the Student Executive Board (BEM) of the Student Family Association (IKM) of the Faculty of Medicine (FK) of Universitas Indonesia (UI), namely social service activities in the form of seminars, training, and health screenings for residents of Pegangsaan Village, Menteng, Central Jakarta.
The activity titled “Cegah Stunting: Mencetak Generasi Emas Penerus Bangsa” (Prevent Stunting: Creating a Golden Generation of the Nation’s Successors) took place on August 31 and September 7, 2024, at SDN 01 Pegangsaan. This activity was carried out in collaboration with the Department of Pediatrics, FKUI— National Central General Hospital dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo (RSCM) and Menteng Health Center.
The Head of BEM IKM FKUI Ilham Qurrota A’yun, said that this community service activity is important because, in addition to preventing stunting which is still a national health problem, the material provided to residents is also an effort to pay attention to the early life cycle of children which will affect the goal of Indonesia Emas 2045.
“The Golden Generation that is echoed is based on the early years of human life, the right intervention in the early years of life will provide optimal child growth and development to create a quality demographic bonus to realize Indonesia Emas 2045,” said Ilham.
He explained that the first day of the activity was filled with a seminar on “Nutrisi Optimal untuk Si Kecil” (Optimal Nutrition for Little Ones) which presented the Pediatrician, Dr. Ronald Rompie, Sp.A, as a speaker. In his presentation, Dr. Ronald explained about providing the right Complementary Food for Breast Milk (MPASI) as a strategy to prevent stunting. He explained the right types and doses for children to consume according to their age so that they can grow optimally.
On the same day, MPASI training was also carried out with a resource person, Child Nutrition Expert Dr. dr. Klara Yuliarti, Sp.A(K). She explained that there are still some parents who think that the food consumed by their children is sufficient, when in fact it is not. This is reflected in the increase in their weight and height.
Therefore, dr. Klara explained in more detail about easy recipes that can be made at home according to the age and ideal portion of the child. In addition, a demonstration was also carried out on making one of the balanced nutritional MPASI recipes with the right method.
On the second day, training activities were carried out on anthropometric examinations or measurements of human body dimensions, in the form of measuring weight, height, waist circumference, and head circumference. This training was given to local mothers and cadres with the hope that mothers and cadres could learn how to interpret and detect stunting, underweight, underheight, and obese children.
One of the speakers, dr. Maria Galuh Kamenyangan Sari, Sp.A, M.Kes, in her presentation, provided education on how to properly measure children’s anthropometry to the mothers of cadres who actively help in the integrated health post and other participants who attended. dr. Maria also taught how to read children’s growth charts correctly to detect abnormalities. Furthermore, the second day’s activities continued with anthropometric screening of children which included checking weight, height or length, body mass index, and head circumference.
Acting Dean of FKUI, Prof. Dr. dr. Dwiana Ocviyanti, SpOG(K), M.P.H., said, “This community service or social service activity is certainly very good for medical students. Through this activity, students can hone their sensitivity and concern for public health conditions. In addition, students can also find out the current situation of the health challenges currently being faced by the nation. Hopefully, this activity can bring many benefits and good impacts to the community,” said Prof. Dwiana.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Pegangsaan Assistant Health Center, dr. Yanda Nur Estuningputri who was present representing the Head of the Menteng Health Center in her speech said that in the Pegangsaan area, there are still children who are indicated to be stunted. “As of July 2024, there are 16 children who are indicated to be stunted. Four of them have been referred to Tanah Abang Hospital, while the other two are still in the referral process,” said dr. Yanda.
She further said that steps are needed, not only in handling cases, but long before that, efforts must be made to prevent stunting. “Through this activity, it is hoped that the materials presented by the resource persons who are experts in their fields can increase our insight, especially for parents of toddlers so that the knowledge gained regarding nutrition can be applied to their children,” said dr. Yanda.
Also present at the activity, the Manager of Education and Student Affairs for the Undergraduate, Profession, Masters, and Doctoral Programs, FKUI, Dr. dr. Murti Andriastuti, Sp.A(K); Student Coordinator of FKUI, Dr. dr. Anggi Gayatri, Sp.FK; and Acting Head of Student Activities of FKUI, Dr. Achmad Rafli, Sp.A(K).
