Post-Pandemic Challenges in Reducing Malnutrition in Children

Depok – In addition to stunting, the government also focuses on suppressing cases of wasting (undernutrition among children). Wasting is a condition when a child’s weight decreases, very less, or even falls below the normal range for his age.

The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) predicts that the number of undernourished children will increase by 15 percent or equivalent to 7 million children, after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on data from the Ministry of Health through the Study on Indonesian Nutritional Status (SSGI) in 2021, the number of children experiencing wasting nationally did show a decline to 7.1 percent from the previous 7.4 percent in 2019. However, the number of children experiencing underweight conditions or underweight, increased 17 percent by 2021.

This number increased from 2019 which reached 16.3 percent. It is feared that this could trigger an increase in wasting incidents.

According to SSGI 2021 data, there are five provinces that have the highest prevalence of wasted toddlers and are included in the Ministry of Health’s monitoring, namely Maluku 12 percent, West Papua 10.8 percent, Aceh 10.7 percent, North Maluku 10.6 percent and South Kalimantan 10.3 percent. .

Causes of Malnutrition in Children

“We estimate that after the pandemic, after two years with conditions in a pandemic, there will be an increase in wasting of 15 percent or seven million children,” said Secretary of the Directorate General of Public Health of the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi in the workshop: Analyzing Stunting Trends and Systematic Problems of Malnutrition.

Nadia added that the increasing nutritional problems among children were influenced by the impact of COVID-19 in the family. The impacts in question are reduced income, job losses, working from home factors to the impact of the informal sector.

While the cause of wasting (undernutrition) among children can occur due to several factors, including; Intake of non-nutritive food, limited food choices and lack of variety, lack of knowledge about child nutrition, poor environmental hygiene, and lack of access to health services.

To reduce the increase in wasting, we can reflect on the Sahabat Gizi Kita (SAGITA) Human Initiative program. In December 2015, this program was able to keep Siti Julaika away from the threat of malnutrition.

At that time, Siti Julaika was one of the 1.3 million children under five in Indonesia who suffered from malnutrition. Siti Julaika only weighs 6.9 kg, when she is 1 year 7 months old.

Of course that’s far from the ideal weight for her age, if we refer to the WHO nutritional standards. With her age, Julaika should have a minimum weight of 9.2 Kg.

In early February 2016, after receiving care from SAGITA, Julaika’s weight increased to 9.2 Kg. Alhamdulillah, his health status has started to improve to good nutrition. That way Siti Julaika can get out of the threat of malnutrition, meaning she has a bigger chance of a bright future.

Julaika is one of the pictures of the hundreds of toddlers being fostered by Human Initiative. In the last 5 years, Human Initiative through the SAGITA Program has fostered 3550 malnourished and under-five children in Indonesia.

Malnourished children under Human Initiative are spread across various provinces in Indonesia, including Darul Siem DI Aceh, Teluk Kabung, West Sumatra, Karang Island Bengkulu Village, Bahkapul North Sumatra, Bencah Lesung Riau, Keteguhan Lampung, Sujung Banten, Tangerang Banten , Subang and Majalengka West Java, Tenjo Village, Bogor, Bumijo Village, Muja-Muju, Badran, Tidar and Logede Yogyakarta, Klaten, Meteseh Semarang, Namosain Kupang, Sesela Lombok, and Ejaberu Makassar, Jeneponto, South Sulawesi.

How to Overcome Malnutrition among Children

Then we also have to know how to deal with Malnutrition in Toddlers. As follows:

– Provide energy-dense foods to help promote weight loss. Such as nuts and cattle products.

– Provide a balanced nutritious diet consisting of staple foods, side dishes, vegetables, and fruits.

– Provide ready to use therapeutic food (RUTF) formula, which is solid food in the form of pasta enriched with nutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals to restore wasting toddlers.

– Provide weight gain supplements if needed.

– Treating diseases that trigger wasting among children.

– Monitor the child’s weight using Kartu Menuju Sehat Card. This card is used to record the child’s development.

By following the steps above, the average number of children under five who experience an increase in nutritional status is in the range of 55-80% in each target area. Of the 3,300 under-fives who were fostered, all of them experienced weight gain and 1,980 under-fives experienced an increase in nutritional status after 10 months of the program.

One of the areas under the guidance of the Human Initiative in Jeneponto, South Sulawesi, for example, out of a total of 48 toddlers who were mentored, initially there were 13 toddlers with poor nutritional status and 35 undernourished. After the program intervention, the number of malnourished children under five was reduced to 4 children, undernourished children under five were reduced to 22 children, and there were 22 children under five who had become well nourished. The number of children under five who experienced an increase in nutritional status was 65%.

Steps to Prevent Malnutrition among Children

If we don’t want undernutrition among children occur in areas that may not have been touched, it’s good that people can understand how to prevent wasting among children. To avoid the problem of wasting.

There are several ways that can be done so that the nutritional intake and health of children is maintained. Here’s how to prevent wasting in children:

– Give exclusive breastfeeding if the child is under 6 months old.

– Provide Sufficient children’s nutritional needs by giving him/her nutritious food.

– Wash vegetables and fruit using clean water before cooking.

– Carry out routine immunizations according to schedule.

– Improve environmental sanitation and hygiene.

– Keep children away from exposure to cigarette smoke.

– Bring children to health services when sick.

At the end of 2022, let’s prevent and reduce wasting, such as the initiation of Human Initiative in a #NyalakanHarapan campaign. The Human Initiative invites all levels of society to participate in realizing the hopes of the nation’s children.

One of these programs focuses on Strengthening Nutrition for Children and Toddlers. This campaign was also held simultaneously nationally by the Human Initiative and 13 branches throughout Indonesia.

The Human Initiative currently has the Sahabat Gizi Kita (SAGITA) program which is an effort to reduce stunting rates in Indonesia. It is hoped that this program can be of wider use with the #NyalakanHarapan campaign, considering the number of wasting and stunting in children is still quite high.

Dr Nadhira Afifa, a public health consultant, is also working to reduce stunting in Indonesia. Now, he is collaborating with the Human initiative to be able to visit remote parts of Indonesia, namely the NTT area to help children there get better nutrition.

“The issue of stunting became close to me, because several times I had the opportunity to visit areas with a fairly high stunting rate,” he said.

Initiator Friends, if you want to participate in the #Nyalakan Harapan campaign, you can visit Solusipeduli.org/nyalakanharapan.