Blurred Vision to Lack of Iron, These 4 Problems Can Interfere with Children's Potential in the Future

JAKARTA - Realizing the golden generation in 2045 does not only depend on the success of reducing the number of diseases or increasing life expectancy.

There is another challenge that is considered much quieter, but the impact can last in the long term, namely the decline in children's cognitive capacity due to various health problems that have often escaped attention.

Indonesia Health Development Center (IHDC) warns Indonesia has the potential to face the Silent Cognitive Burden phenomenon. It can be said that this condition is a decrease in the ability of children's cognitive development that occurs slowly because a number of health problems have not become a priority in public policy.

If not immediately addressed, this condition is feared to develop into a cognitive crisis that affects the quality of Indonesia's human resources in the future.

The warning was conveyed based on the results of the Community Diagnosis which was stated in the IHDC Strategic Study Series Number 4. The study, led by the IHDC Executive Director, Dr. Ray Wagiu Basrowi, MKK, FRSPH, was compiled through a rapid review of various international studies and validated in an Expert Validation Meeting involving experts from various disciplines, ranging from public health, pediatrics, neurology, ophthalmology, nutrition, psychology, education, to public policy.

The results of the study identified four main factors that have a strong relationship with the development of cognitive capacity in school-age children, namely uncorrected refractive errors, iron deficiency, protein deficiency, and behavioral disorders.

The four conditions not only have an impact on physical health, but also affect the learning process and the development of children's brain function.

Based on IHDC estimates, more than eight million Indonesian children are estimated to have vision impairment due to refractive disorders that have not been addressed. Meanwhile, more than seven million toddlers are estimated to have iron deficiency.

On the other hand, data from the Ministry of Health shows that more than 300 thousand school-age children experience behavioral disorders in the form of anxiety.

The Chairman of the IHDC Board of Trustees and Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia for the period 2014-2019, Prof. Nila F. Moeloek, said that the impact of various conditions far exceeded individual health issues.

"Until now, we have considered vision disorders, anemia, or behavioral problems as individual health problems. In fact, if it occurs in millions of Indonesian children, the impact can affect the quality of the national human capital. What is lost is not only the value of the report card, but also the potential to think, innovate, and build the future," said Nila F. Moeloek.

According to the IHDC study, children's development should no longer be measured only by physical growth or disease-free. Equally important is the brain's ability to learn, understand information, think critically, solve problems, and have an overview of the future.

For this reason, IHDC introduced the concept of Cognitive and Future Imaginative Capacity, which is a neurocognitive capacity that allows children to learn effectively, develop creativity, solve problems, and build an orientation towards the future.

IHDC Executive Director, Dr. Ray Wagiu Basrowi, assessed that the paradigm of child development needs to change so that it does not focus solely on treating diseases, but also on strengthening brain function from an early age.

"This IHDC study proposes a Community Framework model, which explains that the development of cognitive capacity is the result of the interaction between biological factors, sensory quality, neurocognitive function, behavior, and social environment, and should be measured starting from the age of the child, so that the child can learn to map his imagination and future trajectory," said Dr. Ray who is also the founder of the Health Collaborative Center (HCC).

From the four factors identified, IHDC assessed that uncorrected refractive disorders were the most likely problem to be intervened immediately. In addition to the high number of sufferers, the impact on the learning process takes place directly and its handling is relatively simple through eye screening and the use of appropriate glasses.

In addition, IHDC also encourages strengthening efforts to prevent anemia due to iron deficiency, improving the quality of protein and nutritional intake of school-age children, and early detection of behavioral disorders as part of the human resource development strategy.

For Nila Moeloek, investing in children's brain health is a long-term investment for national competitiveness.

"Indonesia Emas 2045 does not only need a healthy generation. Indonesia needs a generation that is able to think, create, solve problems, and innovate. Investing in children's brain development is an investment in national competitiveness," said Nila Moeloek.

Through this study, IHDC hopes that the issue of the development of children's cognitive capacity will receive greater attention in the formulation of national policies. Because, building the future generation is not enough to ensure that children grow up physically healthy, but also ensure that they have the ability to think, imagine, and innovate to face future challenges.