They don't realize that every month they get periods, they lose out 200 cc of blood so anemia is normal if they don't meet nutritional needs. That's why pre-conceptions must be prepared, not pre-weddingBatam, Riau Islands (ANTARA) - As many as two million children are at risk of stunting during the COVID-19 pandemic, Head of the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) Hasto Wardoyo has said.
"It's a bit concerning, yes, because during this pandemic, there are two million toddlers who are at risk (of stunting) because of wasting," Wardoyo remarked here on Tuesday.
This could be because wasting is the initial condition seen in children who experience stunting, he said.
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Such children would have a thin body and would not have gained height or length, he informed. Children are said to be wasted if their weight does not increase for two consecutive months, he added.
"If (a child is) thin for two months in a row, be careful. It could be stunting. So when weighing at the integrated health center, if it does not increase for two months, it's wasting," he elaborated.
According to Wardoyo, there are two big factors that could cause this. One is the fact that many Indonesian women suffer from anemia, he said. At least 36.3 percent of young women are currently deemed anemic in the country, he added.
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The high rate of anemia is due to an improper lifestyle, attributed to things such as wrong or extreme diet to the point that the body starts lacking nutrients, he informed.
"They don't realize that every month they get periods, they lose out 200 cc of blood so anemia is normal if they don't meet nutritional needs. That's why pre-conceptions must be prepared, not pre-wedding," he stressed.
Based on the 2018 Basic Health Research Data, the number of babies born prematurely at less than 37 weeks of gestation is also still quite high, with the rate pegged at 29.5 percent.
He said that children in the age group of 12 to 23 months have the highest prevalence of stunting.
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Currently, the number of babies measuring less than 48 centimeters in body length at birth has increased by 37.3 percent, whereas before the pandemic, this figure was only 22.6 percent, Wardoyo pointed out.
Additionally, 11.7 percent of babies are still weighing less than the standard weight at birth, causing the stunting rate to spike again, he added.
BKKBN has made various efforts to reduce stunting, he said. One of the efforts was collaborating with university students to assist families at risk of stunting, he added.
It is expected that through the assistance of students, mothers can survive pregnancy till they are ready to give birth, he said.
“Students accompanying these families is important. If the mother is pregnant, if it feels like it is not the time for the babies to be born yet, or if there is blood mucus, they must be immediately rushed to the midwife. So, that it can be prevented," he added.
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Translator: Hreeloita D S, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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