Families are playing a strategic role in efforts to prevent stunting, an official from the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, Agus Suprapto, said when contacted from here on Monday.
Hence, efforts must be made to develop families’ strength in fulfilling the nutritional needs of pregnant mothers and infants, he added.
In relation to this, the ministry has urged all families to continue to improve their literacy or knowledge regarding stunting prevention.
“For instance, parents can improve their knowledge or understanding by communicating with local health workers or by frequently reading on the stunting prevention effort,” he said.
He also asked parents to increase the consumption of foods rich in animal protein in their family’s daily diet.
“Increase animal protein such as egg, fish, and chicken, which are very good to support infants’ development and also good to fulfill pregnant mothers’ nutrition,” he said.
In addition, for parents with teenage daughters, he highlighted the importance of routinely examining hemoglobin (Hb) levels to prevent the risk of anemia.
If these girls later marry and become pregnant, their anemic condition could potentially cause their babies to be born with less-than-optimal health, he explained.
Meanwhile, the government has continued to bolster education and dissemination on efforts to prevent stunting to expedite the reduction of stunting in Indonesia, Suprapto informed.
“The stunting prevalence is currently at 24.4 percent, while the government aims to reduce stunting to 14.0 percent by 2024, or a decline of 3 percent per year,” he said.
According to data from the Indonesian Infant Nutrition Status Survey (SSGBI), stunting prevalence stood at 24.4 percent or 5.33 million infants in 2021.
Source: Antara News