More Than 100 Thousand Families In Pekanbaru Are At Risk Of Stunting

PEKANBARU - As many as 100,048 families in Pekanbaru City, Riau, face the risk of stunting, chronic malnutrition that causes children's growth to be disrupted so that their bodies become tengkes.

"This is data from family observations that we conducted in 2021," said Head of the Pekanbaru City Population Control and Family Planning Agency Muhammad Amin as reported by Antara, Saturday, March 19.

He said the government provided assistance to families at risk of stunting.

"We provide assistance starting from the time as a prospective bride, pregnant, post-delivery, until the child is two years old," he said.

"Three months before marriage, the nutritional, physical and psychological aspects of the bride and groom must be prepared," continued Amin.

The service provides assistance with the support of 918 family assistants divided into 327 teams.

Amin said there were still 333 stunting cases spread across 15 sub-districts in Pekanbaru City.

According to him, the number of stunting cases in Pekanbaru City is around 11 percent, lower than the national stunting rate of 24.4 percent in 2021.

In order to overcome the stunting problem, as many as 20 urban villages in Pekanbaru City were used as the locus of stunting handling efforts which included programs to fulfill nutritional needs and improve sanitation.

"Intervention in stunting cases is not only focused on the child's weight. But also the environment," he said.