The Board of Professors of the Academic Senate at Diponegoro University (UNDIP) organized a webinar titled “UNDIP’s Professor Talk” on Friday, July 26, 2024. The event, held online via Zoom and broadcast live on the official YouTube channel UNDIPTV, focused on “Mitigating Stunting Through Positive Habits in Indonesian Families.”
The webinar, moderated by Prof. Dr. Indira Januarti, S.E., M.Si., Akt., featured three speakers: Prof. dr. Martha Irene Kartasurya, M.Sc., Ph.D., a professor at the Faculty of Public Health UNDIP; Prof. Dr. Rose Mini Agoes Salim, M.Psi., a professor at the Faculty of Psychology UI; and Prof. Dr. Harjum Muharam, S.E., M.E., a professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business UNDIP.
Prof. dr. Martha Irene Kartasurya, M.Sc., Ph.D., presented on “Preventing Stunting Through Improved Nutritional Intake and Family Health.” Stunting is a growth and development disorder in children caused by long-term inadequate nutritional intake, repeated infections, and insufficient psychosocial stimulation. Stunting impacts intelligence, leading to lower human resource quality.
Prof. Martha said, “Preventing stunting can begin within the family through nutritious food intake and healthy behaviors, starting before pregnancy, during pregnancy, during breastfeeding, and for children under two years old.”
Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Rose Mini Agoes Salim, M.Psi., discussed “Stimulating Child Development in Families to Prevent Stunting.” Stunting occurs partly due to inadequate nutrition and stimulation in children, especially during the first 1,000 days of life. This period is divided into three phases: phase 1 during pregnancy, phase 2 from 0-12 months, and phase 3 from 13-24 months.
“Stunting requires special attention, but sometimes we neglect it, resulting in high stunting rates. This serves as a reminder that preparation starts before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and after childbirth; it’s a cycle that parents must pay attention to,” said Prof. Rose Mini Agoes Salim.
She offered several tips for stimulation, such as using games to develop a child’s potential, using daily activities for stimulation, accompanying and responding to every action/question from the child, keeping dangerous objects away, allowing the child to explore the environment without many restrictions, ensuring cooperation between parents in the stimulation process, and adapting to the child’s characteristics and developmental tasks. Additionally, consulting with psychologists or doctors regarding child development is advised.
Prof. Dr. Harjum Muharam, S.E., M.E., discussed “Family Financial Management to Improve Health and Prevent Stunting.” Financial management involves activities related to managing assets and liabilities to increase wealth and meet operational needs.
To prevent stunting, families must manage their finances to meet their needs. “Family financial management has four stages: planning, fund allocation, implementation, and evaluation,” explained Prof. Harjum.
