UMS Anti-Stunting Mothers' Class Equips Mothers with Catfish-Based Complementary Food Skills

The team of the Student Organization Capacity Strengthening Program (PPK Ormawa) Prisma at Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS), together with the Lembaga Ibu Sigap (Ready Mothers Institute), held an Anti-Stunting Mothers' Class (KIAS) at the Blimbing Village Hall, Gatak District, Sukoharjo Regency, Central Java, on Wednesday (19/8/2026). The activity focused on a Complementary Food Intake Demonstration (DASI), making use of catfish produced through the B-SMART program (Blimbing Independent Aquaponics and Traditional Herbal System).

The activity was a continuation of an earlier session that covered basic material on stunting. In this second session, mothers with infants, toddlers, and children at risk of stunting in Blimbing Village gained an understanding of nutritional needs and practical skills in preparing complementary foods (MPASI) suited to each stage of a child's age.

KIAS Executive Chair Rengga Prayoga praised the mothers' consistent attendance since the first session. He stressed that the KIAS program is designed as an ongoing effort so that participants can apply nutritional knowledge at home.

"We don't want KIAS activities to stop at delivering material. Mothers also need practical skills they can apply directly at home, especially in preparing food that meets their children's nutritional needs," Rengga said on Saturday (5/9/2026).

Community service activities at the Blimbing Village Hall, Gatak District, Sukoharjo Regency, Central Java, 19 August 2026. Documentation: Prisma UMS.

The importance of family involvement in preventing stunting was also raised by Triyani, Head of Family Planning Field Officers. She emphasized the active role families play in supporting the success of stunting prevention efforts at the village level. Meanwhile, Nurhayanti, the village midwife, highlighted the importance of meeting children's nutritional needs during the complementary feeding period, a phase she described as crucial in preventing the risk of stunted growth in toddlers.

"Preventing stunting isn't the responsibility of just one party. Families play an important role in ensuring children's nutritional needs are met, especially once a child starts receiving complementary food," Triyani said.

The material on complementary feeding was delivered by Nasywahanum Illahi Rifki, a UMS Nutrition Science student. She explained four main principles for giving complementary food, in line with Ministry of Health recommendations: timeliness, adequate nutrition, safe preparation, and a feeding method appropriate to the child's age stage.

Nasywahanum also emphasized the importance of animal protein as one component in varying complementary food ingredients to support children's growth and development. That principle was then put into practice through the use of catfish as the main ingredient in the menu demonstrated during the DASI activity.

"Complementary food needs to be given with attention to timing, adequate nutrition, safe preparation, and a feeding method suited to the child's age. Animal protein is also important as part of the variety of food ingredients given to children," Nasywahanum explained.

The catfish used came from aquaponic cultivation under the B-SMART program. Catfish was chosen because it's easy to find and affordable for the community. In the practical session, Alya Indah Amalia, a UMS Nutrition Science student, demonstrated preparing catfish-based menus with textures adjusted for three different child age groups.

After the demonstration, mothers were given the chance to practice preparing catfish-based complementary food menus themselves, with guidance from the Lembaga Ibu Sigap team. That guidance covered everything from selecting and cleaning ingredients including making sure the catfish was free of fine bones through to the preparation and serving process suited to each child age group.

A number of participants actively asked questions about how to prepare catfish so it would have the right texture while still being appealing to children. The activity then continued with a post-test to gauge participants' understanding of the material presented. The post-test results will be used by the implementation team as evaluation material to determine the program's next steps.

Through the Complementary Food Intake Demonstration, the Anti-Stunting Mothers' Class is expected to equip mothers in Blimbing Village with both the understanding and the practical skills needed to prepare healthy, nutritionally balanced complementary food. Making use of local production, such as catfish from the B-SMART program, is part of a joint effort to support stunting prevention and help build a generation free of stunting.

Writer: Alvian Rizki Prasetya

Editor: Maysali Sudarwati

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid