THE EFFECT OF SUPPLEMENTARY FEEDING ON INCREASING THE HEIGHT OF STUNTED TODDLERS IN THE WORK AREA OF PUSKESMAS WANARAJA GARUT DISTRICT

Abstract

Stunting is a major nutritional issue linked to the growth and development of toddlers who have a height or length below the standard for their age. This status is assessed by measurements at more than two standard deviations below the median child growth standard. Toddler stunting is a chronic nutritional issue caused by various factors such as socioeconomic conditions, maternal nutrition during pregnancy, infant morbidity, and inadequate nutritional intake in infants. Stunted toddlers may face hardships in achieving optimal physical and cognitive development in the future. According to a 2021 report by the World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of stunting was 22% or 149 million children under the age of five. In Indonesia, the percentage of toddlers aged 0-23 months who are classified as very short (baduta) is 12.8%, while the percentage of those who are short is 17.1% (Ministry of Health, 2020). The prevalence of stunting in Garut Regency decreased to 35.2% in 2021, according to the Indonesian Nutrition Status Study (SSGI). The Wanaraja District is responsible for the highest rate of stunting in Garut, with 262 (28.9%) of the 907 measured toddlers classified as stunted. To meet the nutritional needs of toddlers, the government implemented a PMT program. This study analyzes the impact of PMT on the height of stunted toddlers using a Quasi-Experimental framework with a Pretest and Posttest only control group design, determining the sample through Experiment sample calculation with random sampling technique. We analyzed data through Paired T-Test analysis with a significance level of 0.05. The findings revealed that Supplementary Feeding (PMT) had an impact on the growth of stunted toddlers at the Wanaraja Health Center in Garut Regency.