Karawang Regency Targets Reduction of Stunting Rate to 14.8 Percent

The Karawang Regency Government, West Java, targets a reduction in the stunting rate to 14.08 percent by 2026, as an effort to realise a healthy generation in the future. Deputy Regent of Karawang, Maslani, in Karawang on Friday, stated that activities providing supplementary food made from local food ingredients have already begun in Karawang as an effort to reduce stunting rates in the region. The targets of this supplementary feeding activity using local food ingredients include pregnant women and toddlers. It was mentioned that this activity of providing supplementary food from local ingredients is one of the strategic steps by the Karawang Regency Government in creating a healthy and stunting-free generation. Maslani stressed that the success of the stunting handling programme lies in the accuracy of nutritional intervention targets. For this reason, he urged all his subordinates not to merely carry out routines in the supplementary feeding activities using local food ingredients, but to focus on sustainable results. “We must seriously address toddler nutrition,” he said. “So this supplementary feeding activity using local food ingredients is not just aimed at increasing body weight, but the nutritional status must also truly improve permanently,” he added. Stunting is a disorder of child growth and development due to chronic malnutrition and recurrent infections, characterised by the child’s length or height being below the standard (-2 SD) of the World Health Organization (WHO) growth curve. This condition occurs mainly in the first 1,000 days of life and has permanent impacts on the child’s cognitive, physical, and metabolic functions. Due to this condition, the Karawang Regency Government is also targeting prospective brides and pregnant women in efforts to reduce stunting rates.