Depok, 29 December 2025 — The Faculty of Public Health (FPH), Universitas Indonesia (UI), once again affirms its contribution to evidence-based public health scholarship through the doctoral promotion of Indah Sri Wahyuni in Public Health Sciences. In the open doctoral promotion examination held at the Doctoral Promotion Hall of FPH UI on 29 December 2025, the promovendus successfully defended her dissertation entitled “A Spatial Model of Childbirth Utilization in Health Care Facilities on Java Island, Indonesia: An Analysis of the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey (SKI) Data.”
Indah Sri Wahyuni’s dissertation addresses a strategic issue in maternal and child health, particularly the utilization of health care facilities for childbirth, which represents one of the key interventions for reducing maternal mortality. Although the coverage of facility-based childbirth in Indonesia reached 89.9 percent according to the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey (SKI), this figure has yet to meet the target set in the Ministry of Health’s Strategic Plan. Through a spatial analysis approach, the study reveals disparities across districts and municipalities on Java Island, indicating that maternal health service coverage remains geographically uneven.
Using the Spatial Error Model (SEM) and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) methods on data from 118 districts and municipalities on Java Island, the study identified significant positive spatial autocorrelation in the utilization of facility-based childbirth services. The analysis shows that determinants such as the type of birth attendant, health insurance ownership, poverty levels, antenatal care (ANC) visits, maternal education, as well as the ratios of physicians and primary health centers, exert spatially varying influences across different regions. These findings underscore the importance of region-specific and context-sensitive maternal health interventions rather than uniform, nationwide approaches.
The dissertation was supervised by Prof. Dr. drs. Tris Eryando, M.A., with support from Prof. dr. Meiwita Paulina Budiharsana, MPA., Ph.D., and Dr. Martya Rahmaniati Makful, S.Si., M.Si., as co-supervisors, and an examination committee comprising Prof. Dr. Besral, S.K.M., M.Sc.; Popy Yuniar, S.K.M., M.M., Ph.D.; Prof. dr. Kemal Nazaruddin Siregar, S.K.M., M.A., Ph.D.; Dr. Wendy Hartanto, M.A.; and Dr. dr. Harimat Hendarwan, M.Kes.
The findings of this study are expected to serve as a scientific reference for the government and other stakeholders in identifying priority areas and formulating more effective and equitable maternal health policies.
Based on the successful defense of her dissertation, Indah Sri Wahyuni was awarded the degree of Doctor of Public Health Sciences. She is the 33rd doctoral graduate of FPH UI in 2025, the 372nd doctoral graduate of the Public Health Sciences Program, and the 488th doctoral graduate of FPH UI overall.
Through this doctoral promotion, FPH UI once again demonstrates its role as a center of excellence in public health scholarship, particularly in leveraging national data and advanced analytical approaches to address Indonesia’s public health challenges. This achievement further strengthens FPH UI’s commitment to supporting national health development goals and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially in the areas of maternal and child health. (wrk)