Stunting is one of the nutritional problems that still receives attention today. The condition of toddlers who are stunted, or grow slowly relative to their age, is a particular problem that needs to be addressed. The prevalence of stunting in Indonesia, especially in Lampung Province, needs to be reduced. This is because stunting has a major impact on children, both short-term and long-term, including making children more susceptible to disease, reduced brain capacity, risk of obesity, and others. Therefore, stunting prevention by all aspects is needed, encompassing specific nutrition interventions and nutrition-sensitive interventions.
This is what motivated lecturers of the ITERA Food Technology Study Program to conduct outreach on stunting prevention in Ono Harjo Village, Central Lampung. The causes of stunting in toddlers include inadequate nutritional intake and the clean living practices applied in daily life. Therefore, both matters are very important to convey to the community, especially Posyandu cadres and KWT (Women Farmers Group) members, who serve as drivers for the mothers in the village. The outreach event consisted of two sessions. The first session was delivered by Mrs. Amalia Wahyuningtyas, S.Si., M.Sc, who emphasized how important sanitation management and clean living practices are for preventing stunting. “Clean and healthy living behavior is very important to apply in all aspects of a toddler’s life, both within the family and in the environment. For example, exclusive breastfeeding, using clean water, using healthy latrines, not smoking indoors, and others. This kind of lifestyle allows toddlers to grow and develop well.” The next session was delivered by Mrs. Masayu Nur Ulfa, S.Gz., M.Si on tips for processing food to retain its nutritional content, as well as the types of food that toddlers can consume to prevent stunting. “Nutritious food does not need to be expensive and is not difficult to obtain. The community can utilize local food sources that are widely available in Ono Harjo Village, such as cassava and corn. These foods are rich in carbohydrates, and in addition, people must also consume other foods such as those high in protein, minerals, and vitamins to prevent stunting. For example, consuming tofu and tempeh, which are high in protein, as well as vegetables. However, there are many things to pay attention to when processing these foods so that they retain their nutritional content, for example, washing vegetables should be done before cutting to avoid losing water-soluble vitamins, and others.
In addition to the outreach, the lecturers also held a food processing competition using cassava or corn for the mothers. The lecturers wanted to instill the mindset that nutritious food can be obtained easily and cheaply. This activity was warmly welcomed by Mr. Musa, Head of Ono Harjo Village, “This activity is very positive and can help the mothers participate in preventing stunting in Central Lampung Province.”
