UM Surabaya Lecturer Shares Tips to Prevent Stunting in Children

• 11 May
• 2022

Ilustrasi Stunting. (via 1000daysfund.org)

UM Surabaya Lecturer Shares Tips to Prevent Stunting in Children

• Article
• By Uswah Sahal
• Health
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Preparing for the golden generation of 2045 is not easy. This is because stunting is still a major nutritional problem for infants and children under the age of two.

Among the 5 million babies born every year, as many as 1.2 million babies are born with stunting. Babies are born with malnutrition as measured by body length less than 48 centimeters and body weight less than 2.5 kilograms.

Ira Purnamasari Lecturer at the Faculty of Health Sciences (FIK) Muhammadiyah University of Surabaya (UM Surabaya) explained, several studies say that stunting is caused from the pregnancy process. Pregnant women are vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies because their needs increase during pregnancy.

"Lack of knowledge of pregnant women about HB (hemoglobin) checks, not consuming folic acid and blood supplement tablets puts pregnant women at risk of giving birth to stunted babies," said Ira Wednesday (11/5/22)

Ira also explained that some babies who were born normal, namely, body length of more than 48 centimeters and weight of more than 2.5 kilograms, were also at risk of experiencing stunting. Babies grow up with a lack of nutrition, which causes stunting.

"Lack of mother's knowledge about stunting, not getting breast milk properly, ignorance about giving complementary food to toddlers, habits that are detrimental to health, and inappropriate parenting styles cause toddlers to experience stunting," he added.

Furthermore, Ira shared several ways to prevent stunting, namely through antenatal care (ANC). Routinely conducting pregnancy checks at health facilities aims to ensure the health of the mother, as well as to monitor the condition and growth and development of the fetus.

He added that pregnant women should regularly consume folic acid. Folic acid is very important to take during pregnancy because it can help prevent birth defects in the baby's brain and nerves. The recommended amount of folic acid intake for pregnant women is around 600 micrograms (mcg) each day.

"Pregnant women can meet their intake of folic acid by consuming eggs, beef liver, legumes such as kidney beans, vegetables such as spinach and broccoli, and fruits such as avocado and papaya. Or you can take pregnancy supplements that contain folic acid.

Meanwhile, another thing that must be done is that pregnant women must regularly consume iron. Iron is needed to produce hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that functions as a distributor of oxygen throughout the body. If the hemoglobin in pregnant women drops, they are at risk of experiencing anemia.

“Exclusive breastfeeding is also very important because breast milk contains nutrients that are important for the growth and development of children, such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats and vitamins. The immune system of babies who consume breast milk is stronger, and has an important role for the intelligence of the baby's brain. Exclusive breastfeeding is given for the first 6 months of life," he explained.

Ira emphasized that giving MPASI with high nutrition is also important. MPASI is useful for meeting nutritional needs as well as the main source of energy. In addition to developing the baby's ability to eat, the nutritional content in complementary foods can boost the immune system so that it helps fight bacterial and viral infections.

"Parents are consistently important to monitor the growth and development of children, especially height and weight. Regularly bringing children to the nearest posyandu, not forgetting to give them complete immunizations," he said.