Come To Posyandu To Prevent Stunting, There Are 68,478 Toddlers In Bogor City Targeted By Vitamin A

Illustration of the provision of vitamin A at the Integrated Service Post (Posyandu) in Bogor City

BOGOR - The government, through the Bogor City Health Service, has designated stunting as a national priority issue in the 2020-2024 National Medium Term Development Plan (RPJMN).

Accelerating stunting reduction is important to create a quality and competitive generation. Stunting is an obstacle to children's growth and development that often occurs in children under five.

Stunting is marked by the condition of toddlers who have a height less than other toddlers their age or have a height below the growth standard.

Head of the Bogor City Health Office, Sri Nowo Retno, said that in Rain City there were 68,478 toddlers (94,27%) out of 72,928 toddlers who received Vitamin A in February 2024.

"It is hoped that in August all toddlers in Bogor City will receive Vitamin A as one of the efforts to prevent stunting in Bogor City," he said.

In this small step, we play a role in creating a healthy, strong, and highly competitive generation," he said, explaining, as a health problem, stunting is included in growth disorders caused by the incompatibility of the amount of nutritional intake that must be received and the lack of nutrition quality.

This health problem will cause disruption of children's growth and development, especially in the first 1,000 days of life (HPK). Stunting can also cause children to be easily infected, as well as risk of contracting non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

Equilibrated nutrition according to the need for both quality and quantity is needed as a preventive measure of stunting.

In addition to the need for macro nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, toddlers require the intake of micro nutritional substances such as vitamins and minerals.

One of the routine programs of the Ministry of Health in meeting the needs of micro nutrients is giving vitamin A to toddlers. Vitamin A is one of the essential nutrients needed by toddlers to grow and develop well.

Vitamin A in the body stimulates the production of white blood cells that play a role in bone formation, maintains and supports the growth of body cells, and increases endurance.

Source vitamin A is obtained from green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, carrots, fruit, cow's liver, egg oil, eggs, and so on. Research shows that consuming a variety of food ingredients rich in vitamins A, especially fruit and vegetables, can protect the body from various diseases.

Unfortunately, only 5 out of 10 FARmers (children under the age of two or aged 0-24 months where during this period children experience a period of gold growth) who consume various foods (Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey, 2021).

With the lack of maximum consumption of various foods, there needs to be special efforts to ensure that toddlers get sufficient nutritional needs.

The supplementation of vitamin A is carried out regularly every February and August, both in posyandu and other health care facilities, in infants, toddlers, and mothers of nifas.

Prices of vitamin A in the form of vitamin A capsules blue 100,000IU (international units) for babies 6-11 months and vitamin capsules A red 200,000IU for toddlers 12-59 months and mothers of nifas.