Jakarta (ANTARA) – The University of Indonesia’s School of Strategic and Global Studies (SKSG-UI) organized a community service activity to educate the public about creating smoke-free settlements to help the government reduce childhood stunting prevalence.
“Exposure to cigarette smoke by pregnant women and children causes vulnerability to chronic diseases. This also impacts the severity of stunted children,” SKSG-UI community service team leader Renny Nurhasana informed here on Wednesday.
The team held a public education activity entitled “The Relationship between Smoking and Stunting through Healthy Settlements that are Environment-Friendly and Free of Cigarette Smoke” in Cibitung village, Bogor district, West Java, on Monday (November 7, 2022).
According to Nurhasana, the activity was part of the implementation of the National Action Plan No. 12 of 2021 concerning the acceleration of the national stunting rate reduction in 2021-2024.
Based on the Indonesia Nutritional Status Study, the prevalence of childhood stunting was still 24.4 percent in 2021, and West Java was among the provinces with a high stunting rate of 24.5 percent.
Exposure to cigarette smoke is one of the factors that can cause stunting in children. Children of parents who are chronic smokers may, on average, be 1.5 kilograms lighter in weight and 0.34 centimeters shorter in height, Nurhasana explained.
After the educational activity,cadres passed on information to residents, especially teenagers, pregnant women, and mothers who have toddlers. The cadres have agreed to implement the program to realize homes free of cigarette smoke in Cibitung village.
Furthermore, cigarette consumption has been proven to lead to poverty, for instance, in Cibitung village, some people prefer buying cigarettes instead of basic family needs.
Nurhasana said the activity is expected to increase public understanding in Tenjolaya sub-district about the relationship between smoking and stunting, and raise awareness about avoiding smoking and protecting the air from cigarette smoke.
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