Is it true that stunting makes you slow to think? This is the Explanation of a UM Surabaya Lecturer

• 05 Dec
• 2022

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Is it true that stunting makes you slow to think? This is the Explanation of a UM Surabaya Lecturer

• Article
• By Uswah Sahal
• Health
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Preparing for the golden generation of 2045 is not easy, because stunting is still a major nutritional problem in infants in the first 1000 days of life which lasts a long time and causes delays in brain development and child development.

The golden period of the first 1000 days of life is the period from when the child is in the womb until the child is 2 years old. In the golden period, the brain experiences very rapid growth, which perfectly supports the whole process of child development.

Ira Purnamasari Lecturer at the Faculty of Health Sciences (FIK) UM Surabaya explained that malnutrition in the golden period could not be corrected in later life.

"Due to chronic malnutrition, stunted children grow shorter than the standard height for toddlers of their age," explained Ira Monday (5/12/22)

According to him, the consequences of stunting in children are direct and long-term, including increased morbidity and mortality, poor child development, increased risk of infection and non-communicable diseases in adulthood, children become unintelligent and have difficulty attending school due to stunted brain growth. which ultimately resulted in a decrease in productivity and economic capacity.

"The thinking ability of stunted children is slow when compared to children of their age. Several studies have proven that there is an effect of stunting on children's cognitive development and learning achievement," he added.

Ira explained, cognitive development is an aspect that focuses on children's thinking skills including learning, problem solving, rational thinking, concentration, creativity, language, and the ability to remember something which ultimately greatly influences children's success in school.

“The brain is the organ that is most quickly damaged when a child has nutritional problems. The brain is a nerve center that influences children's responses to see, hear, think, and make movements," he said.

Nutritional deficiencies in children can affect the function of the central nervous system (CNS), the development of CNS structures and neurotransmitter systems. Nutritional deficiency causes the number of cells in the brain to decrease and results in immaturity and biochemical imperfections in the brain.

Good nutritional status is important for the development and maturity of brain neurons. Children who are stunted will have lower curiosity and motoric weakness due to disturbances in the process of neuronal maturation and changes in brain structure and function.

Research by Sutiari and Wulandari (2011) concerning the relationship between nutritional status at birth and children's growth and development states that nutritional disorders that occur until a child is 2 years old can reduce brain cells by 15-20%.

The IQ score is a sign of brain development, where the IQ score of stunted children is lower than that of non-stunted children.

"This opinion is supported by UNICEF's statement that children with stunted conditions have an IQ of 11 points lower than the average child who is not stunted," concluded Ira.