Malnutrition rate soars since economic crisis

Malnutrition rate soars since economic crisis

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Ubud, Bali

The malnutrition rate in the country has reached alarming levels
since the economic crisis, sending a signal to the government to
pay more attention to the issue. The infant mortality rate is
currently two infants per minute in the country.

Head of the Department of Health Clinical Nutrition? Unit
Yustina Indriastuti revealed on Monday that in 1989 there were
1,342,769 reported cases of malnutrition in a total population of
177,614,965 people. The number was slightly higher in 2000,
reaching 1,348,181 cases of a total population of 203,456,005
people.

However, the number of toddlers suffering from malnutrition
skyrocketed in 2002 to 5,145,533 toddlers, or 27.3 percent of the
country's toddlers at that time, according to the Information
Network on Food and Nutrition (JPIG), an internal bulletin of the
Department of Health.

The much higher rate of malnutrition was attributed to the
increased poverty rate in Indonesia following the economic crisis
that struck the country in 1997.

A senior lecturer at the University of Indonesia's Nutrition
Department Lanny Lestiani confirmed that poverty was one of the
primary causes of malnutrition in the country.

"The eradication of poverty is a vital step in the process of
improving the nutrition of the country's toddlers," she said.

JIPG data shows that some 38.4 million people in Indonesia are
currently living below the poverty line and some 50 percent of
them cannot meet the recommended daily intake of nutrition and
food. Indonesia ranks 110 on the Human Development Index, below
neighboring Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and even Vietnam.

Besides poverty, low awareness, especially of city dwellers,
is also often identified as a cause of malnutrition.

"Busy and hectic lifestyles have apparently made many people
forget the importance of a well-balanced, diet," Yustina told
participants of the Bion 3 Destination Immunity event.

Held in Ubud, the two-day gathering, which was sponsored by PT
Merck-Indonesia, the maker of Bion 3, a health supplement product
combining pro-biotic nutrients, vitamins and minerals, involved
dozens of journalists and nutrition experts.

Many at the gathering have called on the government to take
the measures necessary to improve the well-being of society, so
that it can help prevent malnutrition.

This step is important because malnutrition, along with
infectious diseases, has contributed to the high infant mortality
rate in the country.

Indonesia must allocate at least Rp 4.6 trillion per year to
offset the impact of malnutrition by providing treatment and
supplemental food programs focused at toddlers from poor
families.