Inovasi Probiotik Bahan Lokal Sebagai Strategi Pencegahan Stunting dan Peningkatan Imunitas Balita di Cikoneng

Abstract

Stunting is a chronic nutritional problem that occurs during the growth and development of children under five years of age and remains a major public health challenge in Indonesia. Based on the 2022 Indonesian Nutritional Status Survey (SSGI), the national prevalence of stunting reached 21.6%, while the prevalence in West Java was 20.2%. In the working area of Cikoneng Community Health Center, the number of stunting cases increased from 100 children in 2023 to 131 children in 2024. This condition is associated with various factors, including inadequate nutritional intake, susceptibility to gastrointestinal infections, disruption of intestinal microbiota balance, and limited community knowledge regarding the utilization of locally sourced functional foods. This community service activity aimed to improve the knowledge, awareness, and independence of TP-PKK cadres in preventive and curative efforts to address stunting through balanced nutritional fulfillment and the utilization of locally based probiotics. The target participants were TP-PKK cadres in the working area of Cikoneng Community Health Center. The activities were conducted through coordination with community partners, development of health promotion materials, educational sessions, distribution of information media in the form of leaflets or pocketbooks, and technology transfer training on processing orange sweet potato juice into a safe and hygienically prepared probiotic functional beverage. Evaluation was conducted using pre-tests and post-tests to measure changes in participants' understanding. The evaluation results demonstrated a significant improvement in the cadres' cognitive capacity. Most participants achieved post-test scores ranging from 95 to 100, categorized as very satisfactory. These results indicate that education and training on the utilization of locally based probiotics were well received and understood by the cadres. This increased capacity is expected to strengthen the cadres' role as community educators in disseminating information and supporting community-based stunting prevention efforts.