Nutritional problems in children are still a problem in Indonesia, such as thin children, obese children, children growing shorter than their age (stunting), and anemia. These problems have become severe because they involve the safety of future generations, so the UMSU Faculty of Medicine lecturers feel moved to find solutions to these health problems.
This time, the UMSU Faculty of Medicine lecturer carried out this service program aimed at Muhammadiyah 19 Medan Denai Elementary School through the UMSU Medical Assistance Elementary School program. Although the Puskesmas has been providing BIAN services and health education regularly once a year, we chose this SD to be our target because SD Muhammadiyah 19 has many nutritional problems, especially stunting conditions in these school children.
The coaching activities carried out are forming and training minor doctors and explaining their duties as health ambassadors in schools, which are contained in the UKS triad, namely:
- Health education related to a clean, healthy, and balanced diet.
- Health services, namely helping teachers and health workers in immunization week activities, eye, ear, and first aid screening week.
- Ambassadors in creating a healthy school environment are related to clean school sanitation, eradication of mosquito nests, and fostering a healthy canteen.
The head of the implementing team, dr. Des Suryani, M. Biomed explained this activity is a Muhammadiyah development partnership program that aims to illustrate the importance of paying attention to children’s nutrition because children are potential leaders in the future. Moreover, providing adequate food during childhood can optimize children’s brain abilities so that children become ready to face the challenges of the times.
Eka Febriyanti, M Gizi provides nutrition counseling to children. He conveyed tips to process excellent and nutritious food and a good diet to parents so that it is hoped that parents can make efforts to improve nutrition for their children who have undernourished and over-nourished nutritional problems. The fulfillment of nutrients in schools is also explained through Doctor Eka’s construction of a healthy school canteen. The team and the canteen builder prepared the school canteen according to BPOM in terms of providing the nutritional needs of children at school.
Meanwhile, the Principal of SD Muhammadiyah 19, Mrs. Endang W. Iqbal, welcomed and enthusiastically welcomed the activities carried out by the UMSU FK lecturers. He also thanked the team of lecturers and students of FK UMSU who were willing to provide nutrition education, and training for minor doctors, establish UKS in schools, and determined to implement the UKS triad in schools. In this service, the team has provided the UKS triad implementation module book and the Little Doctor’s pocketbook to guide school principals, UKS supervisor teachers, and minor doctors in daily activities. Practiced.
In this service activity, accompanied dr. Ratih Yulistika Utami, M.Med.Ed, as a member of the implementing team. Dr. Ratih, also the Secretary of the UMSU FK Profession Study Program, gave directions to the children to care for a clean and beautiful environment and establish a medicinal plant garden with the children. This service activity will continue to evaluate and assess the program’s sustainability as a health-fostered school for FK UMSU.
