Stunting Study Press Release: Scientific Reports

29 May 2024

News & Event

Reference:

Pardamean, B., Nirwantono, R., Hidayat, A.A. et al. Monitoring and evaluation of childhood stunting reduction program based on fish supplement product in North Sumatera, Indonesia. Sci Rep 14, 11674 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-61462-z

News:

Press Release in English

Stunting is a pediatric condition in which children are considered to be physically underdeveloped for their age. A major cause of stunting is chronic or recurrent malnutrition, especially in protein intake, during a child’s early development. In Indonesia, approximately 21.6% of children are found to suffer from stunting in 2023, with nearly a quarter of the affected children being under five years old. In response to the public health issue, The Ministry of Health of Indonesia implemented a nationwide program through which nutritious biscuits enriched with essential nutrients are distributed to children and pregnant women throughout the nation via community health clinics and posts.

The Serdang Bedagai regency is one region categorized as a high priority due to the high prevalence of stunting compared to the national average. Due to this urgency, the national effort to combat stunting is accompanied by additional supplements derived from locally-sourced ingredients. Administered for the first time for pediatric stunting, a supplement made from snakehead fish (Channa striata) was distributed in Serdang Bedagai due to its local sourcing.

On May 22nd 2024, Scientific Reports, a high-impact, multi-disciplinary journal from the Nature Publishing Group, published the monitoring effort results on the stunting reduction program performed by the regency government of Serdang Bedagai in North Sumatera, Indonesia. After 6 months of receiving the supplements, 49% of the monitored children improved in their stunting status, with 37% recovered from stunting and 14.2% on the way to normal growth and development. Based on the stunting criteria set by the WHO Child Growth Standard, the children’s height and weight gain improved significantly. The best improvement occurred in children receiving the fish-supplement only. Additionally, it has been shown that the fish-based supplements lead to an added benefit of significant improvement in appetite. As children with stunting often have poor appetite, this effect is desirable as it helps to maintain a child’s normal development.

The success story of Serdang Bedagai illustrates that with local efforts and locally-sourced supplements, pediatric stunting can be combated in a short amount of time, calling for amplified efforts to combat stunting. “This study and monitoring efforts were incredibly useful, especially for the Serdang Bedagai regency, in which last year, stunting prevalence decreased from 21% to 14% of the pediatric population,” said Dr. Yohnly Boelian Dachban, Head of the Health Department of Serdang Bedagai Regency.

The monitoring efforts began in 2022 through collaborations between the Health Department of Serdang Bedagai Regency and Bioinformatics & Data Science Research Center (BDSRC) of Bina Nusantara University. The fish-based supplementation was produced and supplied by Mega Medica Pharmaceuticals (MMP) as part of the company’s social responsibility efforts to its local community. Drs. Sutristo, Director of the MMP, stated that, “The synergistic collaboration among academic researchers, the government, the health industry, and the local community was key to the success of this monitoring effort. MMP is committed to sustain its part and work with local governments in combatting stunting.” Supporting this notion, Prof. Dr. Bens Pardamean, Head of BDSRC, said, “With the incredibly positive outcome of this study, key collaborators must accelerate and expand the efforts to combat stunting in other regencies. Additionally, it is crucial that the efforts are sustained continuously to the future.”

Press Release in Bahasa

Stunting merupakan kondisi terhambatnya pertumbuhan anak-anak pada usia dini. Salah satu penyebab utama stunting adalah kekurangan asupan gizi, terutama protein, pada seorang anak. Di Indonesia, prevalensi stunting diketahui sekitar 21.6 % di pertengahan tahun 2023, dan hampir seperempat berusia di bawah lima tahun. Untuk mengatasi dan mencegah stunting, Kementerian Kesehatan RI telah mengambil tindakan untuk mendistribusikan biskuit bergizi tinggi sebagai makanan tambahan pada balita dan ibu hamil di seluruh Nusantara melalui kegiatan posyandu.

Salah satu daerah prioritas di seluruh Nusantara untuk pengentasan stunting adalah kabupaten Serdang Bedagai, Sumatera Utara. Dengan tingginya prevalensi stunting di daerah ini, penyediaan biskuit bergizi tinggi disertai dengan pemberian makanan tambahan. Digunakan untuk pertama kalinya dalam upaya pengentasan stunting di daerah tersebut, diharapkan bahwa pemberian makanan tambahan berbahan pangan lokal, seperti suplemen ikan gabus, dapat mempercepat pengentasan stunting.

Kesuksesan suplemen ikan gabus dalam pengentasan stunting telah dipublikasikan oleh jurnal ilmiah internasional yang bereputasi tinggi, Scientific Reports, berdasarkan studi pemantauan balita di kabupaten Serdang Bedagai. Setelah 6 bulan, pemberian suplemen ikan gabus pada balita dengan kondisi stunting, 37% diantaranya berhasil pulih dari kondisi stunting (memasuki kondisi normal) dan 14.2% balita mengalami perbaikan pertumbuhan menuju kondisi normal. Berdasarkan standard pengukuran pertumbuhan yang diterapkan oleh WHO, ditemukan bahwa balita yang dipantau dalam studi ini meningkat pesat dalam penambahan berat badan dan tinggi badan. Pertumbuhan terbaik terjadi dalam grup balita yang menerima hanya suplemen ikan gabus. Dan juga, suplemen ikan gabus yang diberikan memiliki efek yang meningkatkan selera makan.

Kesuksesan daripada Serdang Bedagai dalam mengurangi stunting memberi contoh bahwa pemberian pangan lokal, seperti ikan gabus, serta kerja sama antara warga dan pemerintah lokal sangat dibutuhkan untuk pengentasan stunting dalam waktu singkat. “Penelitian ini sangat bermanfaat, terutama untuk Kabupaten Serdang Bedagai, tahun lalu terjadi penurunan angka stunting dari 21% menjadi 14%,” kata Dr. Yohnly Boelian Dachban, Kepala Dinas Kesehatan Kabupaten Serdang Bedagai. Oleh karena itu, penggalakkan program pemberian makanan tambahan sangat diperlukan.

Pemantauan di Serdang Bedagai berlangsung mulai dari tahun 2022 melalui kerja sama antara Dinas Kesehatan Kabupaten Serdang Bedagai dan Bioinformatics & Data Science Research Center (BDSRC), Universitas Bina Nusantara. Suplemen ikan gabus diproduksi dan didistribusikan oleh PT Mega Medica Pharmaceuticals (MMP) sebagai bagian daripada tanggung jawab sosial kepada penduduk lokal Serdang Bedagai. Drs. Sutristo, Direktur PT MMP memaparkan, “Kerja sama antara akademisi, pemerintah, industri, dan masyarakat merupakan kunci sukses kolaborasi penelitian ini. MMP berkomitmen untuk terus membantu pemerintah mengatasi stunting.” Prof. Dr. Bens Pardamean, Kepala BDSRC, juga mendukung pendapat ini, “Dengan hasil penelitian yang sangat positif ini, diperlukan usaha dari seluruh pihak terkait untuk mempercepat pengentasan stunting di kabupaten lain di Indonesia. Dan juga, kedepannya, upaya ini harus tetap dilanjutkan.”