Interactions of Factors Related to the Stunting Reduction Program in Indonesia: A Case Study in Ende District.

Previous stunting-related studies focus more on causes or determinants of stunting. Little is known about factors contributing to the success of stunting reduction programs. This study aims to fill those gaps using a case study from Ende District, Province of Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia. A group model-building workshop with stunting-related stakeholders was conducted in November 2021. The system dynamic approach in the form of a causal loop diagram was used. Five variables related to the stunting reduction program were included in the analysis: the budget for the stunting reduction program; stunting-related stakeholder's cooperation and coordination; sufficient water supply; the ability of the related stakeholders to execute the program; and water, sanitation, and hygiene-related behavior. We found that the budget for the program and the cooperation and coordination between stakeholders were the most influential variables in the system. The feedback loop between these 2 variables was also the most prominent in the system, suggesting that sufficient funding and strong collaboration between stakeholders could lead to successful stunting reduction programs. Finally, this study implies that the stunting reduction programs in developing countries should be seen holistically and improvement should be conducted in all aspects, including financial, institutional, environmental, technical, and social.

A hierarchical Bayesian Belief Network model of household water treatment behaviour in a suburban area: A case study of Palu-Indonesia.

Understanding the determinants of household water treatment (HWT) behavior in developing countries is important to increase the rate of its regular use so that households can have safe water at home. This is especially so when the quality of the water source is not reliable. We present a hierarchical Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) model supported by statistical analysis to explore the influence of household's socio-economic characteristics (SECs) on the HWT behavior via household's psychological factors. The model uses eight SECs, such as mother's and father's education, wealth, and religion, and five RANAS psychological factors, i.e., risk, attitude, norms, ability, and self-regulation to analyse HWT behavior in a suburban area in Palu, Indonesia. Structured household interviews were conducted among 202 households. We found that mother's education is the most important SEC that influences the regular use of HWT. An educated mother has more positive attitude towards HWT and is more confident in her ability to perform HWT. Moreover, self-regulation, especially the attempt to deal with any barrier that hinders HWT practice, is the most important psychological factor that can change irregular HWT users to regular HWT users. Hence, this paper recommends to HWT-program implementers to identify potential barriers and discuss potential solutions with the target group in order to increase the probability of the target group being a regular HWT user.