“Linear growth disorders that contribute to the high burden of stunting in developing countries mostly occur in the period from conception to the age of two. Linear growth failure is a condition in which a child’s height gain slows down so that the child fails to reach his optimal growth potential,” said Dwi Sisca Kumala Putri, opening her dissertation summary presentation at the FPH UI doctoral promotion open session.
An open session for doctoral promotion at the Universitas Indonesia (UI) Faculty of Public Health (FPH) on behalf of Dwi Sisca Kumala Putri was held on Tuesday, 12 July 2022, online via the Zoom Meeting platform. Dwi defended his dissertation entitled “Pattern of Linear Growth Failure in the Baduta Age Based on Birth Weight and Length Status (Analysis of Cohort Study of Child Growth and Development in Bogor City in 2012-2019)”.
Prof. Dr. dr. Kusharisupeni, M.Sc., as Chairman of the Session, Prof. dr. Endang L. Achadi, M.P.H., Dr.PH., as Promoter, Prof. Dr. dr. Hartono Gunardi, Sp.A (K)., and Dr. Yekti Widodo, S.P, M.Kes., as Co-Promoter. The testing team consisted of Dr. Abas Basuni Jahari, M.Sc .; Dr. Besral, S.K.M., M.Sc., and Ir. Ahmad Syafiq, Ph.D.
Dwi’s research aimed to analyze the pattern of linear growth failure for children under five based on birth weight and length. By knowing the time of the first occurrence of slowing growth and the magnitude of changes in achieving body length according to age in the age range 0-6, 6-12, and 12-23 months based on the status of birth weight and length. This research is an observational study with a prospective cohort study design. This study used data from the Cohort Study of Child Growth and Development (TKA cohort), the Health Research and Development Agency.
Dwi’s research results show that half of Small for Gestational Age (SGA) children or small babies for gestational age slow down their growth before 10 months of age, and half of the normal children slow down their growth before 9 months of age. SGA children have a 10 percent lower risk of experiencing the first event of slowed growth in the under-five years after being controlled for the duration of breastfeeding, but this is not statistically significant.
Dwi suggested to the Ministry of Health and the National Population and Family Planning Agency that the first 1000 Days of Life (HPK) period is the right period for efforts to prevent stunting. It would be better if the prevention program were started earlier, from prenatal to early infancy ( 500 HPK).
Based on the results of his dissertation, Dwi has successfully declared a graduate and became a Doctor in the Public Health Sciences (IKM). Dwi is the 266th IKM doctoral graduate and the 343rd doctoral graduate at FKM UI. (AHS)