The high incidence of stunting is a condition of growth and development failure experienced by children due to lack of nutritional intake for a long time, repeated infections, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation, especially in the first 1,000 days of life. The role of nurses in reducing the incidence of stunting is one of them by educating related nutrition/nutrition in pregnant women which is an important thing that must be fulfilled during pregnancy.
Located at the Bea Pau Posyandu, Mano Village, Kec. Pacar, Kab. West Manggarai, NTT, lecturers and students from the Department of Community Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, University of Indonesia held a community service program through stunting prevention activities as part of implementing the Tri Dharma of Higher Education.
This service activity targets pregnant women and mothers who have children under five to be able to maintain adequate child nutrition so as to avoid stunting. Stunting is often associated with failure to thrive in children due to chronic malnutrition and repeated infections. If this is not immediately handled properly, it will affect the physical growth and cognitive intelligence of children so that it has an impact on the quality of life.
The activity was held on Monday, August 15, 2022 and opened with a brief presentation from the head of the Puskesmas, Siprianus Jamat, S.Kep. which reminds pregnant women and toddlers to pay attention to parenting in the family.
“Parenting in the family is the most important factor to ensure that our children avoid stunting. In addition, adequate nutritional intake and environmental sanitation are interrelated with each other to prevent stunting in children,” explained Siprianus.
There are several sessions of activities carried out in this community service program, including weighing infants, immunizations, and giving vitamin A for toddlers. This is important to do so that the child’s growth and development is maintained and in normal conditions.
In addition, the Service Team conducts health education related to the basic concepts of stunting, pregnancy nutrition, the First 1000 Days of Life and the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for infants aged 0-6 months. Before providing education, the service team tried to explore the participants’ understanding by asking questions about myths and facts related to stunting. The participants’ understanding of stunting is actually quite good, but there are some myths that are still believed by the public related to stunting.
Furthermore, the service team conducted education to the people who were present about the importance of pregnant women having their pregnancy checked regularly at the Puskesmas starting from the 1st trimester for 1 visit, the 2nd trimester for 1 visit and the 3rd trimester for 2 visits. This is important so that the health conditions of the mother and fetus remain in a healthy condition.
Finally, the service team also reminded pregnant women to maintain adequate nutrition during pregnancy. If the nutritional needs of pregnant women are not met, it will be difficult for the mother and fetus to gain weight. So this condition can cause various problems for the health of the mother and fetus. At the end of the activity, the service team prepared several questions related to stunting and participants who could answer would be given the prizes provided. The FoN UI service team answered every concern and ignorance of the public regarding the stunting phenomenon in Indonesia.
The enthusiasm of the participants in participating in community service activities was very good and cooperative and they hoped that this activity could continue in the future so that it would have an impact on the nutritional adequacy of children.
Lecturers and students involved in this FoN UI community service activity are lecturers and students, including Agus Setiawan, S.Kp., M.N., D.N (Dean of FoN UI) as lecturer and head of service, Dr. Henny Permatasari, S.Kp., M.Kep., Sp.Kom (Community Nursing Specialist) and Ns. La Ode Abd Rahman, S.Kep., MBA (FoN UI Lecturer), and 5 Community Nursing Students, including (Ns. Syamikar Baridwan, S.Kep., M.Kep. Sp.Kep.K., Ns. Lasarus Atamou, S.Kep. M.Kep., Ns. Safaruddin, S.Kep. M.Kep., Ns. Riski Muahmmad Akbar K, S.Kep. M.Kep., Ns. Fandy Yoduke, S.Kep. M.Kep. .
Gedung A Lantai 2, Rumpun Ilmu Kesehatan (RIK), Kampus UI Depok, Jawa Barat 16424 – Indonesia
Jl. Prof. Dr. Bahder Djohan, Kampus UI Depok, Jawa Barat 16424 – Indonesia