Vol. 2 No. 1 (2022): PROCEEDING MUHAMMADIYAH INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICINE CONFERENCE - SECOND EDITION
Indonesia was a prime example of the “Triple burden of malnutrition” even before the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 7 million children under five were stunted. Indonesia is the fifth-highest globally for child stunting (UNICEF, 2020). Indonesia’s challenges due to this triple burden, significantly stunted, are complex and likely to be exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic (UNICEF, 2020). The impact of pandemics on nutritional status is alarming. Reporting from the United Nations Indonesia in 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, an estimated 2 million children under five in Indonesia experienced wasting (malnutrition), 7 million stunted children (stunted), and 2 million other children under five were overweight. In addition, 2.6 million pregnant women suffer from anemia. (United Nations Indonesia, 2020).
Stunted among children can result from many different causes; the three most common immediate causes are inadequate breastfeeding and poor diets, coupled with suboptimal care practices, insufficient nutrition and care for pregnant women and mothers, and high rates of infectious disease, due predominantly to unhealthy living environments and poor access to health services (UNICEF, 2020). These factors are further compounded by widespread poverty, unemployment and low levels of education.
Infants, toddlers, pregnant women, and nursing mothers face significant risks to their nutritional and health status resulting from restrictions on access to health services and access to get nutritious food. Despite the challenges associated with health facilities and restrictions on resource movement, maintaining care services for malnourished mothers and children should be a priority, along with protecting vulnerable children and population groups at risk of undernourishment (United Nations Indonesia, 2020).
Based on the explanation above, the Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta, collaborates with IAKMI DKI Jakarta and the Faculty of Medicine and Health, Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta, will hold The 2nd Muhammadiyah International Public Health and Medicine Conference (MIPHMC). MIPHMC is a grand event that brings together health experts and medical experts to discuss to find intelligent solutions for handling stunting cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
