Bontang Government Targets 9,840 Toddlers in 2026 Weighing Operation to Reduce Stunting

The Bontang City Government has officially launched the 2026 Synchronised Weighing Operation as a concrete measure to detect and reduce stunting rates. The event took place in the DPMPTSP Meeting Room in Bontang City on Tuesday (9/6).

Mayor of Bontang, Neni Moerniaeni, stated that the programme targets 9,840 toddlers in the area. The objective is to obtain accurate data that will serve as the basis for formulating follow-up interventions to improve children’s nutritional status.

According to Neni, the achievement in reducing the stunting rate in Bontang City has not yet shown significant results. One of the challenges faced is that there are still infants born with stunting conditions, which affects the overall reduction figures.

‘Why is stunting not decreasing? Because there are mothers who have just given birth whose children are born stunted. This is what we must prevent,’ she said.

Therefore, Neni emphasised that efforts to tackle stunting cannot rely solely on synchronised weighing activities. Management must be carried out thoroughly from the upstream level by paying attention to various crucial factors.

‘So there must be crucial factors that need attention, such as clean and healthy living behaviour, environmental sanitation, fulfilling the nutrition of pregnant women, and the nutritional readiness of prospective brides,’ she stated.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Bontang City Health Office, Toetoek Pribadi Ekowati, explained that the implementation of the weighing operation was deliberately carried out earlier, before the Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey. This tactical step was taken so that the government has sufficient time to intervene on findings in the field.

‘The weighing operation currently being conducted precedes the Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey, in the hope that there will be time for intervention ahead of it,’ she said.

Through this synchronised weighing operation, the Bontang City Government hopes to obtain accurate and up-to-date data on the condition of toddlers. With this data, it is ensured that the intervention programmes implemented can be more targeted in supporting the acceleration of stunting reduction and improving the quality of child health in Bontang City.