ABCDE Tips to Prevent Stunting in Lumajang Regency
Lumajang, East Java (ANTARA) - Stunting remains a primary concern for central and regional governments, which continue to suppress it through various programmes and movements. Intensive education and prevention efforts have been carried out early, before prospective brides and grooms marry and have children.
The Lumajang Regency Government is also actively moving with various programmes to promote a proactive approach through an outreach strategy, ensuring that maternal and child health services increasingly reach families in need, particularly in remote villages.
Based on the Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI), the prevalence of stunting in Lumajang Regency is recorded at 23.4 percent. This figure is higher than the national rate of 19.8 percent. This data serves as a basis for the local government to strengthen its strategy for accelerating stunting reduction through more targeted interventions.
The Lumajang Regency Government implements a data-based approach that allows the local government to optimise coordination among stakeholders, making programmes more focused and tailored to the needs of each region and target group. Through the continuous use of data, the policies implemented become increasingly adaptive, measurable, and well-targeted. Consequently, every stunting reduction intervention is expected to have a real impact on improving the quality of maternal and child health.
From this data utilisation, the ABCDE Tips were developed, consisting of five main steps. The letter A stands for ‘aktif’ (active) in taking blood supplement tablets for adolescent girls and pregnant women. The letter B stands for ‘bumil’ (pregnant women) having regular pregnancy check-ups according to health service standards.
The letter C stands for ‘cukupi’ (fulfilling) daily consumption of animal protein. D stands for ‘datang’ (attending) the posyandu (integrated health post) every month to monitor child growth and development. The letter E stands for ‘eksklusif’ (exclusive) breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life.
These five steps complement each other in supporting the nutritional and health needs of mothers and children, as stunting prevention does not begin when a child already has growth disorders, but from adolescence, pregnancy, and through the first 1,000 days of life.
The ABCDE Tips are not merely campaign material but are intended to become habits practised by every family. With these simple steps carried out consistently, the risk of stunting can be reduced and child growth and development can proceed more optimally.
Through these steps, posyandu cadres, the PKK (Family Welfare Movement) Mobilisation Team, health workers, village governments, religious leaders, and community figures are invited to continuously convey stunting prevention messages to the public. This aims to ensure more families understand the importance of maintaining maternal and child health from an early stage.
Through education that is easy to understand and apply, the Lumajang Regency Government continues to strengthen family-based stunting prevention efforts, hoping that more parents will be able to adopt healthy lifestyles. This is expected to produce a healthy, intelligent, and high-quality generation.
Public education must be carried out continuously so that families not only know the importance of stunting prevention but are also able to apply it in their daily lives. Consistent behavioural change will have a greater impact than temporary interventions.