Optimizing Stunting Prevention through Anemia Education in Female Adolescent

Abstract

The decrease in hemoglobin levels which is commonly known as anemia is still a very serious problem, especially in developing countries. In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that more than 40% or 2 billion people in the world have anemia status. As a developing country, the incidence of anemia in Indonesia is quite high. In female adolescents, the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia was found to be 22.8%. One of the factors causing anemia is knowledge. Handling anemia problems in adolescents can be done by providing education about anemia properly to increase their knowledge. The purpose of this study is to increase knowledge about anemia in female adolescents in Ngadiwinatan. The method used in this study was counseling through lectures and discussions. The partners involved included twenty-one female adolescents at junior high, high school, and university levels in the Ngadiwinatan area. The material provided related to trends in the incidence of anemia in female adolescents, causes, risk factors, effects of anemia, and prevention of anemia in female adolescents. The results of this service activity contributed to the knowledge of female adolescents with an increase in knowledge of 65%. The level of knowledge about anemia is expected to improve the attitudes and behavior of female adolescents about anemia. They are expected to be able to adopt a balanced nutritional diet in their daily food consumption to increase their hemoglobin level