In Indonesia, one in five children suffers from stunting, which is actually preventable
The 2024 Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) brings good news for the health sector, with a decline in the national prevalence of stunting from 21.5% in 2023 to 19.8% in 2024. This decline indicates tangible progress from various efforts by the government, health workers, and the community to improve child nutrition. However, this figure is still far from the ideal target. Stunting remains a major challenge that hinders the quality of Indonesia’s human resources in the future. Therefore, continuous collaboration from all levels of society is needed so that the goal of achieving ‘Zero Stunting’ by 2030 can truly be achieved.
Cita Sehat, as an NGO which focused on stunting issues, has been running an excellent stunting care program in Indonesia since 2025. This report will describe the impact of the excellent stunting care program during the period January-July 2025.
Program Area of Focus
In the first half of 2025, the Excellent Stunting Care program had reached seven cities in Indonesia, which were Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya, Medan, Pekanbaru, Yogyakarta, and Kupang.
This program was designed comprehensively by integrating nutrition education, supplementary feeding, and the habit of clean and healthy living.
During the three-month implementation period, Cita Sehat successfully assisted 158 toddlers with stunted and severely stunted nutritional status. Although it began at different times in each city, the entire assistance program lasted 90 days. The distribution of infants involved was as follows: 15 infants in Jakarta, 38 infants in Medan, 9 infants in Pekanbaru, 32 infants in Semarang, 33 infants in Surabaya, 4 infants in Yogyakarta, and 27 infants in Kupang.
Program Impact
%
Improvement in Toddlers' Nutritional Status
During the three-month assistance period, the Excellent Stunting Care program successfully improved the nutritional status of 22% of participants, equivalent to 35 toddlers.
At the end of the program, 22 toddlers who were initially stunted or severely stunted have now achieved normal nutritional status.
In addition, 13 toddlers who were previously classified as severely stunted showed significant improvement, moving to the stunted category. These results indicate an improvement in nutritional status thanks to integrated interventions during the program.
Improvements in nutritional status also varied across program locations. Among the 35 toddlers who experienced improvements in nutritional status, Semarang City achieved the best results. A total of 54% of toddlers who successfully recovered were from Semarang, making it the largest contributor compared to other program locations.
Cita Sehat did not only assess the success of the Excellent Stunting Care program based on changes in nutritional status alone. Another important impact that deserves appreciation is the increase in children’s height, which is one of the main indicators in determining nutritional status. During the period from January to July 2025, 89% of children participating in this program experienced height growth with an average increase of 2.13 cm in three months of assistance.
However, this increase is not enough to change the nutritional status of children from stunted to normal, as it is still below the growth standards set by the Minister of Health Regulation. This confirms that efforts to prevent and deal with stunting cases require long-term intervention and continuous support so that children’s growth can be optimal according to health standards.
Conclusion
The Cita Sehat assistance program for stunted toddlers in the period January–July 2025 has had a tangible impact on improving children’s nutrition and health. This effort does not stop here; Cita Sehat continues to provide assistance to toddlers and parents in various regions of Indonesia throughout 2025. To achieve the shared goal of eradicating stunting, Cita Sehat invites all parties to collaborate in creating a stunting-free Indonesia
Writer:
Susilowati S.Gz – Head of Program Cita Sehat
Data Contributors:
Ridwan Sahidin, Tuti Hariani, Emi Susanti, Ahadiyah Fitriani, Dwi yuliani, Ratna Kusumaningsih, Citra Mayasari Sukmara, Nendi Permana.