"Sanitation, livable houses, and a healthy environment have a significant influence on family health and in stunting prevention," he explained here on Saturday.
According to Alimoeso, ensuring sanitation and a healthy environment are part of sensitive approaches to handling stunting.
He explained that whether there is proper sanitation or not, or whether a home is liveable or not, greatly affects the quality of family life.
Poor sanitation can contribute to a variety of infectious diseases that can put children at risk of stunting since nutrition is not absorbed optimally during sickness.
"Therefore, improvement programs for sanitation, latrines, and houses should be specifically targeted for families at risk of stunting," Alimoeso stressed.
He said he expects that the program's target recipients will not be missed, and it will reach those who are vulnerable to stunting.
Based on National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) data, the number of households at risk of stunting nationally has dropped from 12 million to eight million.
"There must still be some households facing the risks of stunting, and some are no longer at risk because of the intervention efforts," he said.
Over the past few years, BKKBN has worked in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), he added.
For the sanitation and housing programs, the BKKBN will provide data on families at risk of stunting and the PUPR Ministry will build proper sanitation facilities and livable houses for them.
"With the sanitation improvement programs based on data, it is expected that it will support the prevention of stunting for families at risk," Alimoeso said.
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Translator: Ruth K, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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