Depok, 11 November 2025 — The Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia (FPH UI) continues to demonstrate its commitment to expanding international academic collaboration through the organization of a guest lecture titled “Closing the Nutrient Gap: How Animal-Sourced Foods Prevent Stunting?” The hybrid-format session, attended by nutrition students, featured Prof. Geeta Appannah, Professor in Nutrition & Dietetics at the International Medical University (IMU) Malaysia, as the keynote speaker.
The lecture focused on stunting among children in Indonesia and Malaysia. In her presentation, Prof. Geeta highlighted the essential role of animal-sourced foods in efforts to prevent stunting. She explained that stunting is a form of chronic undernutrition that leads to a child being shorter than the standard height for their age. “Stunting is a deficit in linear growth, meaning that a child does not grow according to their age due to long-term nutrient inadequacy,” said Prof. Geeta. The condition is often accompanied by other nutritional problems, such as wasting (low weight-for-height), underweight (low weight-for-age), and micronutrient deficiencies.
Globally, stunting remains a major public health issue in developing countries, especially in regions such as Africa and Southeast Asia. Prof. Geeta also emphasized the complexity of household-level nutrition problems. “Within one family, one child may experience stunting, another may be overweight, and another may have micronutrient deficiencies. This is what we call the double or even triple burden of malnutrition,” she explained. She added that this phenomenon is prevalent in middle-income countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. Indonesia has made notable progress, with stunting prevalence decreasing from 27 percent in 2019 to 19.8 percent in 2024. “This is remarkable progress, but we cannot be complacent because one in five Indonesian children is still stunted,” she added.
According to UNICEF’s conceptual framework, one of the direct causes of stunting is inadequate dietary intake in terms of both quantity and quality. “Children in low-income families often eat, but the food they consume is not sufficiently nutritious or diverse. Animal-sourced foods such as milk, meat, eggs, and cheese provide essential proteins and important micronutrients for young children. Regular consumption of these foods has been shown to reduce the risk of stunting,” explained Prof. Geeta.
Prof. Geeta further highlighted the need for critical evaluation of the methods used to measure and interpret stunting data, especially in rural areas with limited data collection resources. “The main problem is not a lack of knowledge—it’s affordability. Animal-sourced foods are expensive, difficult to access in rural areas, and community awareness remains low,” she noted.
During the discussion session, Prof. Ir. Ahmad Syafiq, M.Sc., Ph.D., Professor at the Department of Nutrition, FPH UI, added perspectives related to Indonesian cultural norms and perceptions surrounding the consumption of animal-sourced foods. “There are two major challenges: traditional beliefs that restrict meat consumption for pregnant women and children, and modern trends such as vegetarianism and the misconception that everyone is lactose intolerant, when in fact only a small portion of the population experiences it,” stated Prof. Syafiq. He also highlighted Indonesia’s low milk consumption. “Milk consumption in Indonesia is among the lowest in Asia, despite its high bioavailability and importance for child growth and development,” he added.
In her closing remarks, Prof. Geeta emphasized that efforts to address stunting must be multisectoral. “We cannot leave this issue solely to the health sector. Collaboration among the education, agriculture, and trade sectors is essential to ensure that all children have access to nutritious and affordable food,” she stressed.
Through this guest lecture, FPH UI reaffirms its commitment to strengthening international collaboration in nutrition and public health. The exchange of knowledge and experience with experts from various countries is expected to enrich academic perspectives and promote innovative solutions to nutritional challenges, including stunting, in Indonesia and the broader Southeast Asian region. (EAR)