"For men whose wives are pregnant, please reduce smoking to increase the pregnancy quality," BKKBN head Hasto Wardoyo said in Jakarta on Friday.
Responding to a statement by Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin regarding the effect of smoking on stunting, Wardoyo said that several studies conducted in the health sector have shown that cigarette smoke, which contains toxic substances, can reduce the volume of clean air available for pregnant women. It is also harmful to the growth of the fetus inside the womb.
Exposure to cigarette smoke can cause the fetus to experience intrauterine growth restrictions, causing the baby's body size to become smaller than normal. In fact, it can cause a baby to be born with low birth weight (LBW), he added.
According to him, the anomalies in fetal growth and development can be dangerous because they can cause a child to become stunted while in the womb. The condition can worsen with a lack of animal proteins in the mother’s diet.
Therefore, Wardoyo asked all family members who smoke to reduce their smoking habit and opt for consuming foods with animal proteins. He suggested that no family member be allowed to smoke in the house to maintain the air circulation for the mother and the baby.
"They can smoke outside to avoid the pregnant mother being exposed to the toxic substance. In addition, the consumption of fish containing Omega 3 and DHA such as mackerel or catfish can increase the baby's brain development," he said.
Earlier, Minister Sadikin said that smoking within the family can eliminate the opportunity for parents to provide animal proteins to children.
"If the parent prefers to buy cigarettes, it can reduce their economic power to buy eggs," the minister added.
Sadikin highlighted that the biggest determinant of stunting is the quality of pregnancy and the end of the exclusive breastfeeding period, which requires the provision of complementary food supplements (PMT) to children. Therefore, children must consume animal proteins such as eggs, milk, fish, and meat.
Unfortunately, smoking behavior can eliminate the opportunity to buy 16 eggs, which can be purchased for around Rp25 thousand. This is in line with research, which has shown that the money used by families to buy up to three packs of cigarettes a day can be used to purchase eggs.
Thus, Sadikin asked all family members to pay more attention to the health of pregnant women and babies by reducing or stopping expenditure on smoking.
“The money the family spends to buy cigarettes reaches three packs a day, (with) which (they) should be able to buy eggs. Therefore, I remind the family to stop smoking and buy eggs as an important nutritional intake for children," he added.
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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma S, Resinta S
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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