The National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) is collaborating with parenting applications to accelerate stunting reduction in order to create higher quality families in Indonesia.
“As the agency responsible for accelerating the reduction of stunting in Indonesia, BKKBN will make various efforts, one of which is by synergizing with experts and institutions who have the same vision and mission with us, such as parenting (applications),” said Head of BKKBN Hasto Wardoyo in a press statement on Tuesday.
By collaborating with parenting applications, BKKBN is seeking to reach more Indonesian families for the purpose of education, advocacy, communication, and conducting a series of joint activities for the synergy of family planning development programs.
Wardoyo said there are many efforts that can be made to build quality families and create a superior and advanced young generation, including careful family planning by parents or prospective parents as early as possible.
The effort to build a superior and advanced young generation can be started by reducing the number of children experiencing growth failure or stunting, he said. The agency is targeting to push stunting prevalence below 14 percent by 2024, he added.
“We hope that this National Family Day momentum can be the right moment to accelerate the reduction of stunting in Indonesia through a series of synergistic programs,” Wardoyo said.
Meanwhile, obstetrics and gynecology specialist at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia-Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM), Prof. Dr. Dwiana Ocviyanti, SpOG(K), MPH, said that it is important to increase education, including regarding pregnancy planning, through synergy between the BKKBN and parenting applications because there are still many people who do not fully understand it.
The intended pregnancy planning measure is the use of contraceptives to prevent close birth spacing between children, which can have a significant effect on stunting, Ocviyanti said. The minimum birth gap recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) is 2 years and 9 months.
“Currently, the public, especially new parents, do not fully understand the types, benefits, and consequences of using existing contraceptives,” she said.
“Therefore, as practitioners, we need to continue to provide education with the assistance of institutions that also have the same vision and mission for accelerating education,” she added.
Source: Antara News