Peer-reviewed article
Development of the "KARUNI" (young adolescents community) model to prevent stunting: a phenomenological study on adolescents in Gunungkidul regency, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Benny Karuniawati, Supriyadi Hari Respati, Dhiya Urrahman, Fahmi Baiquni, Sri Mulyani ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study explores a new program called KARUNI designed to prevent stunting by targeting adolescents aged 12-15 years, particularly girls who will become future mothers. The program combines nutrition education, reproductive health information, and hygiene promotion with parental involvement. The research used interviews and focus groups to understand how adolescents and program officials experience the intervention in Gunungkidul Regency, Indonesia. Key findings show that the program needs better cross-sectoral collaboration between schools and health centers, along with improved monitoring and appropriate communication methods to be effective.
Key points
- Adolescent girls are an underutilized target group for stunting prevention despite malnutrition and anemia in adolescence increasing the risk of stunted children in the next generation
- The KARUNI model combines nutrition education, reproductive health education, and clean and healthy living behaviour for teenagers aged 12-15 years with parental involvement
- Program implementation faces barriers including lack of prioritization, insufficient motivation, and weak program monitoring
- Successful implementation requires cross-sectoral collaboration between health centers (Puskesmas) and schools, along with innovation and appropriate media
- Health interventions including iron tablets and health screening should be delivered through collaboration between health centers and schools
Limitations
This is a phenomenological study exploring perceptions and understanding rather than measuring stunting outcomes or intervention effectiveness. The study describes what stakeholders think the program should include but does not report whether implementing KARUNI actually reduces stunting rates or improves nutritional status in adolescents.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Stunting is a major health problem in developing countries due to chronic malnutrition that impacts physical growth, cognitive ability, and long-term productivity. The focus of stunting prevention is generally aimed at pregnant women and toddlers, while adolescents, especially adolescent girls, are often neglected. In fact, they will be the future mothers who determine the quality of the next generation. Malnutrition and anemia in adolescents increase the risk of giving birth to stunted children. Innovative nutritional intervention programs, such as nutrition education and iron supplements, are needed to break the cycle of stunting, involving adolescents as important targets in prevention. Karuni is a program specifically designed for teenagers aged 12-15 years with the main focus being on empowering teenagers through nutrition education, reproductive health and clean and healthy living behavior as well as involving parents to optimize the program. METHODS: This study used a phenomenological approach to explore the understanding of adolescent girls aged 12-15 years about the stunting prevention program in Gunungkidul Regency, Indonesia. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and FGDs with adolescents, officials running the Adolescent Health Care (PKPR) program, and related agencies. Data validity was guaranteed by triangulation of sources and NVivo was used for analysis. RESULTS: The identified five themes related to the adolescent intervention program for stunting prevention: program implementation, achievements, barriers, needs, and KARUNI model design. Program monitoring is important, but faces barriers such as the lack of prioritization and motivation. Cross-sectoral collaboration, innovation, and appropriate media are needed in the implementation of the KARUNI model to increase the effectiveness of the stunting prevention program for adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: The importance of the role of adolescents in efforts to reduce the prevalence of stunting, especially through collaboration between health centers (Puskesmas) and schools in implementing the PKPR program, providing iron tablets, and health screening.