Students from Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) have conducted a socialization campaign for the Electronic Ready to Marry and Ready to Pregnant (Elsimi) application in Ngemplak Village, Kandangan District, Temanggung Regency, Central Java. This initiative aims to prevent stunting at an early stage, long before couples get married.
Stunting is a health issue that does not arise suddenly; instead, it results from a combination of factors such as maternal health, iron deficiency, and improper parenting practices. Therefore, Unnes students have organized a 40-day Community Service Program (KKN) focusing on adolescents as a preventive measure against this issue. The program includes educational workshops, health screenings, and community outreach to raise awareness about stunting and its prevention.
The socialization activities were carried out through meetings and discussions, door-to-door visits to prospective brides and grooms’ homes, and a talk show inviting local health workers. The talk show included discussions and featured entertainment such as singing together and games to engage participants. Students consistently promoted using the Elsimi application to reduce stunting rates throughout these activities.
Elsimi is an innovative application developed by the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) that serves as a health monitoring tool for couples intending to marry. It allows users to track their health conditions and receive personalized recommendations for a healthy lifestyle. By accurately filling out and using this application, users can perform self-assessments regarding their health conditions, which is crucial in preventing stunting.
Since its launch in March 2022, the Elsimi application has provided valuable data for stunting prevention interventions. According to the data, among the 83,000 prospective brides and grooms who registered at the Religious Affairs Office, many were found to have health issues that could potentially lead to stunted children. This data has been instrumental in designing targeted interventions and has already shown promising results in reducing stunting rates.
Data indicates that out of 151,599 prospective brides and grooms across Indonesia in 2022, more than half experienced health problems that could trigger stunting. Anemia cases accounted for 17.8 percent, those who were too young represented 7.2 percent, those who were too old constituted 7.5 percent, and chronic malnutrition stood at 18 percent.
KKN student Faadiyah Nafiisatun explained that financial limitations prevented them from providing supplementary food assistance or other programs that require funding. “However, our creativity is expected to contribute positively to the anti-stunting campaign, enabling communities to prevent growth failure due to chronic malnutrition,” she stated.
source: https://stunting.go.id/mahasiswa-unnes-sosialisasikan-elsimil-di-kalangan-remaja/
