Bantul Health Leaders Aim to Cut Stunting Rates, Cite Smoking Exposure as Major Factor

The Bantul Regency health department reported that the prevalence of stunting among children fell to 8.3% in February 2026, down from 9.05% in August 2025, reflecting a continued downward trend. Despite the improvement, officials said that the dominant cause remains exposure to household smoking, with 61.9% of stunted children living with a family member who smokes. One sub‑district recorded 100% smoking households and 93.8% of those families were classified as poor. Economic hardship also contributes, as 40.1% of stunted children come from low‑income families, although nearly 60% are from non‑poor households.

In July 2026, a cross‑sectoral Stunting Forum was held, culminating in the signing of a Commitment Statement to strengthen convergence in stunting mitigation. Assistant for Government and Welfare Hermawan Setiaji emphasized that stunting is a multidimensional issue linked to poverty, education, sanitation, caregiving practices and nutrition, requiring coordinated action from local governments, health workers, businesses, academia and communities. The forum aims to sustain the reduction trend, which has already lowered stunting from 19.1% in 2021 to 14.9% in 2022, approaching the national target of 14% for 2024.