REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Pediatric Specialist Consultant in Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases from the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) Damayanti Rusli Sjarif appealed to children who are diagnosed with stunting to be immediately treated so that they remain intelligent.
Several studies show that the decline in intelligence due to stunting can still be corrected by up to 90 percent if correction is carried out before the age of two. "The method is through high-calorie, high-protein nutritional therapy, as well as play stimulation," said Dr. Damayanti in a BKKBN press release in Jakarta, Saturday (Mar.30, 2024).
She explained that children who are detected as stunting and do not immediately receive therapy, apart from not having their brains develop, also have the potential to make them vulnerable to suffering from various diseases in the future. In the long term, children who are malnourished will cause stunting which has an impact on their immune system, decreased intelligence, delayed development, and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, obesity, and so on when they grow up.
Dr Damayanti also said that family planning (KB) cadres or the family assistance team (TPK) can immediately refer children who are detected to be at risk of stunting to a specialist doctor. They can also provide nutrition or high protein food intake for these children.
"Toddlers detected with stunting must immediately be given nutrition according to indications. This is to keep up with their growth. Toddlers must also be monitored regularly until they recover from stunting to prevent a decline in intelligence," said Dr Damayanti.
Apart from that, consuming good nutritional therapy in complementary foods for breast milk (MPASI) is also highly recommended, with animal protein at every meal. For example, eggs, chicken liver, red meat, chicken, fish or milk.
She also emphasized that stunting should not be considered trivial and ordinary. "A child who suffers from stunting is at risk of having his brain damaged," said Dr Damayanti.
If treatment of stunted toddlers is late, there is not much that can be done. Therefore, the earlier stunted toddlers are treated, the faster their brain development will be saved.
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