Optimizing detection, prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition in Indonesian children
Speakers

Dr. Moretta Damayanti
{aediatrician Subspecialist in Nutrition and Metabolic diseases, working as an employee of the Ministry of Health at Mohammad Hoesin Hospital and a lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine of Sriwijaya University in Palembang, South Sumatera, Indonesia

Dr. Damayanti Soekarjo
Founder and Managing Director of Savica consultancy in Surabaya. Savica is a research consultancy in public health and communication, founded in 2011

Silvia Barbazza
Public Health Nutritionist pursuing her PhD at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam

Dr. Marinka vd Hoeven
Assistant Professor in International Health at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam.

Dr. Frank Wieringa
Research Director at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), a Public Research institute focusing on sustainable development of the Global South. Director adjoint of the QualiSud research unit

Dr. Puspo Edi Giriwono
Head of the SEAFAST Center-LPPM IPB and is a Lecturer in the Department of Food Science and Technology, FATETA IPB
Event Details
After India, Indonesia has the highest case-load of acute malnutrition in children, with an estimated 2.4 million being wasted. Despite a rapid expansion of integrated management of acute malnutrition services in Indonesia, including both hospital-based and community-based treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM), many challenges are hindering effective treatment, including the lack of detection of cases at community level, absence of culturally acceptable, locally produced ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs) and community-based follow-up mechanisms. Since 2018, we’ve been working with UNICEF and the Ministry of Health on optimizing and updating the guidelines for the detection, prevention and treatment of SAM in Indonesia through innovative research.
During this ‘best practice’ session, examples will be presented on how detection, prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition can be optimized in the Indonesian context. Using different cut-offs of the mid-upper arm circumference leads to better detection of children with acute malnutrition at community level. New initiatives for prevention of malnutrition include locally produced fish-based supplementary foods which are not only high in energy, protein and micronutrient content, but which are also more sustainable. And Indonesia is leading research efforts in using innovative, locally produced RUTFs that aim to improve the gut microbiome of children with SAM, with outcomes likely benefitting treatment of malnutrition worldwide.
The overall aim of this best-practice session is to raise awareness on the on-going developments in the field of treatment of acute malnutrition and to invite participants to share their experiences which can hopefully help to further improve current guideline development.
Associated institutions:
Mohammad Hoesin Teaching Hospital, Indonesia Savica Surabaya,Indonesia
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands
French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development, Montpellier, France Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Southeast Asia Food and Agricultural Science and Technology (SEAFAST) Center, Indonesia