Head Of BKKBN: Stunting Can Be Detected Early

JAKARTA - The stunting rate in Indonesia is currently a big problem. For this reason, serious treatment is needed to overcome this problem.

President Joko Widodo even issued Presidential Regulation Number 72 of 2021 concerning the acceleration of stunting reduction. The National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) was appointed to solve this problem.

Then whether stunting can be detected early, especially for remote areas. Given the lack of equipment support.

Head of BKKBN Hasto Wardoyo said stunting can be detected early. That is, from the womb. The trick is for midwives in remote areas to measure the circumference or height of a pregnant woman's abdomen.

"It can be detected (early), actually midwives are trained, the fetus grows slowly, how to measure the height of the abdomen of pregnant women," said Hasto at a virtual press conference, Jakarta, Friday, September 3.

For this reason, pregnant women should be checked regularly. The goal is to determine the development of the fetus in the stomach. Now all midwives are equipped with fetal examination.

"For example, what is the height of 20 weeks pregnant. That has been taught by the midwife. In the city use ultrasound. If you are 28 weeks pregnant, how many kilos should you weigh, if you are not stunted," he said.

Hasto previously said that the stunting rate during the COVID-19 pandemic rose to 32 percent. Because many toddlers are skinny during this pandemic, then they become stunted. "Indeed, experts say stunting rose to 32.5 percent," said Hasto.

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the causes of stunting are very complex because it involves various sectors in a country.

In addition, stunting can also be an indicator of the growth of the political economy, health, education, culture, agriculture and food systems, as well as environmental conditions in a country.

This condition will affect the lack of household care, inadequate complementary feeding, breastfeeding is not optimal, and the occurrence of infections in children in a country.

In the end, these factors are the main causes of stunting.