Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Minister for Population and Family Development, Ratu Ayu Isyana Bagoes Oka, has emphasized that integrating nutritional interventions with efforts to strengthen family planning programs is key to reducing stunting prevalence in the country.
“Efforts to reduce stunting are important. To ensure effectiveness, interventions must begin before birth, focusing on specific and sensitive approaches, especially for adolescent girls and pregnant women,” she said in a statement issued here on Tuesday.
The goal of lowering stunting cannot be achieved without good family planning, she added.
Although national stunting prevalence declined from 21.5 percent in 2023 to 19.8 percent in 2024, challenges remain to achieving the national target of reducing stunting to 14 percent, she said.
A study by the ministry has identified three critical issues that must be paid attention to in stunting reduction efforts in Indonesia.
The three issues cover early breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding practices, challenges to reducing stunting in eastern Indonesia, and the availability of contraceptive tools and medicines for couples of reproductive age.
To build a quality generation, the study recommends strengthening the implementation of the 10 steps for successful breastfeeding recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The study also suggests providing workplace lactation rooms and access to lactation counselors, conducting public campaigns for families with pregnant and postpartum mothers, and lending active support through family assistance teams (TPK).
In addition, the ministry has launched programs such as the Indonesian Exemplary Fathers Movement (GATI), which promotes equal parenting, and the Tamasya program, a safe childcare service in workplaces to help mothers remain productive.
“Strengthening the family planning program through access to contraceptives for reproductive-age couples is also among the key recommendations for reducing stunting. This is carried out by optimizing regulations and policies related to contraceptive provision,” Oka added.
