ANTARA Journalist Presents Dissertation on WhatsApp-Based Stunting Counselling

A journalist from the ANTARA National News Agency, Indriani, has presented a dissertation concluding that counselling via WhatsApp Groups can be an effective medium to support changes in child feeding practices as part of stunting reduction efforts. In her research, Indriani selected East Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara, as the study location because the area still has a relatively high stunting prevalence, reaching 27.6 percent based on the 2024 Indonesian Health Survey. “The regency also has a high commitment to handling stunting, as evidenced by the issuance of several local regulations in stunting reduction efforts,” Indriani said in a statement received in Bandung on Thursday. Indriani was declared to have passed her doctoral promotion hearing held at the Faculty of Human Ecology, IPB Dramaga Campus, Bogor Regency, West Java, on Wednesday (15/7). According to her, East Lombok is considered to have a strong commitment to accelerating stunting reduction, making it a relevant location to test a digital technology-based counselling model. “Counselling efforts are needed to encourage changes in early childhood feeding behaviour through the use of WhatsApp, which is the most frequently used platform by Indonesians,” she said. The research, conducted from July to October 2025, involved 128 respondents from six early childhood education institutions in East Lombok using a quasi-experimental method. The results showed that message characteristics, environmental influences, and perceived ease of technology use are important factors in driving behavioural change among child caregivers. Based on these findings, Indriani formulated the SEMETON Model, an acronym for Social, Education, Mediation Transmission, Orientation, and Norms. In the Sasak language, “semeton” also means relative or kin. Indriani acknowledged that her study had limitations because the intervention only lasted for 10 weeks, which was insufficient to observe more significant behavioural changes. She suggested that similar research be conducted over a period of 12 to 16 weeks with follow-up measurements.