BULUKUMBA — Stunting prevention efforts are now turning to digital approaches at the village level. A community service team from the Faculty of Nursing at Hasanuddin University (Unhas) introduced the SEHATI app to mothers of young children in Bontobangun Village, Rilau Ale District, Bulukumba Regency, as a technology-based tool for education and for monitoring child growth and development.
The program, titled GERAK SEHATI (Movement for Education and Support of Mothers of Young Children to Prevent Stunting through the SEHATI App), took place at the Bontobangun Community Health Center on 14 and 16 May 2026. It was attended by around 40 mothers of young children, along with local health workers and posyandu (integrated health post) volunteers.
The SEHATI app was introduced as a companion tool to help mothers understand balanced nutrition, monitor their children’s growth, and recognize early signs of developmental disorders during the First 1,000 Days of Life, the phase considered most decisive in preventing stunting.
The leader of the community service team, Prof. Dr. Kadek Ayu Erika, S.Kep., Ns., M.Kes, explained that health technology is needed so that stunting education does not stop at face-to-face outreach sessions alone.
“Many mothers already know that nutrition is important, but they do not yet have an easy-to-use tool to monitor their children’s development regularly. This app is designed to bring health information closer to mothers,” said Prof. Kadek.
During the education session, participants were introduced to the app’s features, which include balanced nutrition guidance, monitoring of children’s weight and height, and age-appropriate developmental stimulation information. The session also covered early detection of growth and developmental disorders, presented by Nur Fadilah, S.Kep., Ns., M.N.
Unlike conventional outreach, this activity emphasized hands-on practice with the app. Participants were guided to download the app, enter their children’s data, and read the growth monitoring results on their own mobile phones.
The moderator, Aulia Insani Latif, S.Kep., Ns., M.Kes, said the app-based approach is expected to help mothers monitor their children’s health continuously at home, not only when they visit the posyandu.
A representative of the Bontobangun Community Health Center, Bd. Hj. Rahmawati, S.ST, said that a digital approach like this can strengthen the work of health workers in the field, especially in increasing family involvement in stunting prevention.
This community service program is part of the PPMU-PK-M scheme supported by the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) of Hasanuddin University.(*/kdk/ir)
Editor: Ishaq Rahman
This article is an English translation of the original Indonesian report.