Sociological Study on the Participation of Pentahelix Elements in the Reduction of Stunting in Oefafi Bethel Church, East Kupang District, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province

Sociological Study on the Participation of Pentahelix Elements in the Reduction of Stunting in Oefafi Bethel Church, East Kupang District, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province

Christine E. Meka, Lenny S. Bire Manoe, Yeheskial A. Roen

Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Political Science, University of Nusa Cendana. Indonesia

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.802016

Received: 18 January 2024; Accepted: 29 January 2024; Published: 29 February 2024

ABSTRACT

Pentahelix element participation refers to collaboration between various important elements in society, such as government, private sector, civil society organizations, academics, media, and individuals to overcome the problem of stunting in children. Stunting is a public health problem that occurs due to malnutrition and lack of care during the growth and development of children. Through this collaboration, efforts are made to increase public understanding of the importance of proper nutrition and care for children and improve access and availability of nutritious food. In addition, efforts were also made to improve the availability of clean water and good sanitation, also strengthen the health system to provide adequate health services for children and mothers. The participation of Pentahelix elements can produce an integrated and sustainable strategy in dealing with stunting problems in children. This method can help improve the quality of human resources in the future and strengthen sustainable development.

Keywords: Pentahelix element, Church, participation, Community, Stunting

INTRODUCTION.

East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province is known as one of the provinces with the highest stunting rate nationally in Indonesia. Various discussions in the community show the attention of many parties about the problem of Stunting. As a result of stunting, NTT province was again highlighted. The spotlight is mainly given because five districts in NTT are the largest contributors to national stunting. The Data showed that the trend of stunting prevalence in NTT is fluctuating, namely 24 (2020), 20.9 (2021) and 22.7 (February 2022).

Stunting Data in NTT is ranked 4th in the world, 2nd in Southeast Asia and the highest nationally. In real terms, stunting data shows, the amount of stunting in NTT is 37.8 percent. The five highest regencies are as follows: South Central Timor 48.3%, North Central Timor 46.7%, Alor 44.8%, Southwest Sumba 44%, and East Manggarai 42.9 percent.

On the other hand, NTT has shows NTT has the wealth of local food. Those who have been visited NTT and become part of NTT will soon know if this area stores dozens of types of local food that are sometimes used to overcome hunger. Some types of local food such as beans and tubers have become public property. Many people from various regions are jealous of NTT’s wealth. This statement is not a figment. Because, other than being poor, NTT is known as a province with various social problems. NTT also turns out to have a variety of local community wealth.

Kupang regency is one of the regencies in East Nusa Tenggara province where there are quite a lot of stunting cases. Based on data from the February 2022 weighing month, the prevalence of stunting numbers in Kupang regency has increased dramatically to 7,207 or 24.1 percent of Kupang regency children are stunted. Children who experience stunting are spread across 24 sub-districts from 27 health centers in Kupang regency. One of the villages where there are quite a lot of stunting cases is Oefafi Village, East Kupang District, Kupang regency. Based on data at the Oefafi Health Center in August 2022, there were 34 children who experienced stunting.

Seeing the increasing number of stunting, it is necessary to cooperate with various parties in helping the government in overcoming the problem of stunting in Oefafi Village, East Kupang District, Kupang regency. The church as a partner of the government should also have a share in reducing the number of stunting. In Oefafi Village, East Kupang District, Kupang regency, there is one large church, Oefafi Bethel Church, which since 2021 has given full attention and role to the stunting problem. It is the church’s responsibility to support government programs. To see how the role of the Church in Oefafi Village, East Kupang Sub-District, Kupang regency, it is necessary to research on “the participation of Pentahelix elements in reducing Stunting (case study in Oefafi Bethel Church, East Kupang Sub-District, Kupang regency)” with the main problem of research is: how the participation model of Oefafi Bethel Church in reducing stunting rates in Oefafi Village, East Kupang Sub-District, Kupang regency.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Pentahelix is an innovative development of the QuadrupleHelix model that connects academics, practitioners/businesses, communities, governments and the Media to create an ecosystem based on creativity and knowledge, which is expected from this concept is a solution for the development of creativity, innovation and technology in the creative industry.

Pentahelix element was originally a Triple Helix with elements of Academics, Business Sector, Government, which was then added with one element, Civil Society (or Communities in this study), into a Quadruple Helix, to accommodate the perspective of society, in this case a “media and culture-based society” which has also become a comprehensive part of innovation in the 21st century now. Furthermore, the Communities element opens up cross-disciplinary configuration and networking opportunities, and frees the concept of” innovation ” from mere economic considerations and goals, but also involves creativity as part of the process of knowledge production and innovation (Muhyi, Chan, Sukoco, & Herawaty, 2017, p. 417).

This study used the perspective of AFC theory in this study serves to understand the policy taken by the Bethel Oefafi Church in reducing stunting. This theory states that external factors can potentially determine a policy change that will be monitored over time and used as a measure derived from the possibility and strength of potential external impulses. The existing coalitions will use many ways and instruments to influence policy. In the policy subsystem stage, there are policy brokers who play a moderate or non-partisan role for one of the two coalitions in the process of making public policies. For example, they are high-ranking officials who have been elected to advocate for policies. The political behavior of these policy brokers can be seen from what is the background of the broker’s work and what is the belief system espoused, their behavior during the policy making process (whether they have behavior based on strategies to increase their power or oriented towards the search for stability of the 22 policy subsystems, as well as their influence on policy output in different political systems (Bratt, 2013). The participation of the Bethel Church in the goal of reducing stunting involves inaction with the community (congregation) and how the Church becomes an effective partner in reducing stunting.

METHOD

This study uses qualitative method; in which qualitative method is a research method with emphasis on descriptive data in the form of written or spoken language about the people or actors observed. This approach is useful for explaining and analyzing individual or group phenomena, events, social dynamics, attitudes, beliefs and perceptions.

The perspective of AFC theory in this study serves to understand the policy taken by the Bethel Oefafi Church in reducing stunting. This theory states that external factors can potentially determine a policy change that will be monitored over time and used as a measure derived from the possibility and strength of potential external impulses. The existing coalitions will use many ways and instruments to influence policy. In the policy subsystem stage, there are policy brokers who play a moderate or non-partisan role for one of the two coalitions in the process of making public policies. For example, they are high-ranking officials who have been elected to advocate for policies. The political behavior of these policy brokers can be seen from what is the background of the broker’s work and what is the belief system espoused, their behavior during the policy making process (whether they have behavior based on strategies to increase their power or oriented towards the search for stability of the 22 policy subsystems, as well as their influence on policy output in different political systems (Bratt, 2013). The participation of the Bethel Church in the goal of reducing stunting involves inaction with the community (congregation) and how the Church becomes an effective partner in reducing stunting.

This research was conducted at Oefafi Bethel Church, East Kupang District, Kupang regency, East Nusa Tenggara province. Research informants are determined deliberately with certain considerations that aim to provide data in accordance with the needs of research objectives. The informants of the study were the Bethel Church and the Oefafi Village community based on the consideration that there are many stunted Oefafi village communities that demand a more comprehensive treatment. Implementation of data collection in the field by conducting in-depth interviews (in depth interview), FGD (Focus group Discussion) to the target group, namely the Assembly of Oefafi Bethel Church congregation and communities in Oefafi village who involved with stunting.

In-depth interviews were conducted with the aim of collecting information or data about the object of research, namely informant communication (Oefafi Village community) in their daily lives in an environment. In-depth interviews are open and unstructured and in an informal setting. It aims to determine the role of the Bethel Church in the reduction of stunting in the village of Oefafi.

Interviews were conducted with five research informants aimed at understanding the role of the Bethel Church in efforts to reduce stunting. Observation techniques are used to understand the background of stunted families and socio-economic conditions of the people of Oefafi Village. Its dimensions are focused on the role played by the Bethel Oefafi Church. This technique is used to acquire knowledge that cannot be generated from interviews alone. The documents used by researchers are documents in the form of records that apply in the village community oefafi that is related to their socio-economic life. Qualitative data was analysis with interactive model. In general, this process includes three things, namely data reduction, data presentation and conclusion. In this study, FGD was conducted with research informants to get an overview of the participation of the Bethel Church in reducing stunting; the results of this data analysis are the basis for answering a thorough understanding of the participation of the Oefafi Bethel Church in an effort to reduce stunting rates in Oefafi Village, East Kupang District, Kupang regency.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

Literally, the church is the people who have been called out of darkness and found the light, and then bring the light to illuminate the darkness of the world. Theologically, the church is the people who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. The nature of the Church, namely:

1. As An Organism:

The church is a living creature; the church is sourced, moved, and directed by God, and prayer as the life of the Church.

2. As An Organization:

Regularity so as not to lose direction, the church as an individual, and The church is in charge of shaping and developing the society around it.

The results of the interviews showed that the church had extensive access to the local community. The church can provide counseling and education to its congregation about the importance of balanced nutrition, exclusive breastfeeding, nutritious food, and other health practices that can prevent stunting. The church may also invite health professionals to provide information to the congregation. Churches often have a wide reach within local communities. This makes the church an ideal entity to disseminate information about nutrition and health to communities that may be difficult for formal health services to reach. Nutrition and health counseling conducted by the church can help form awareness about the importance of good nutrition and health practices in the community. It can help change people’s behavior regarding food selection and health care. By providing knowledge and skills in nutrition and health, the church can empower communities to take preventive action and positive changes in the diet and care of children. The church can also associate messages about nutrition and health with moral and ethical values. This can provide additional motivation to congregation members to adopt good nutritional practices as part of their lives.

Nutrition and health counseling organized by the church is one effective way to help reduce stunting in the community. From several interviews conducted in found that the role of the church is very positive and shows that the church has a significant role in helping them deal with these health challenges in their communities. In addition, nutrition and health counseling organized by the church is a very effective tool in reducing stunting. Using the church’s platform and community access, messages about balanced nutrition, exclusive breastfeeding, and other health practices can be more easily conveyed to the community. With good cooperation between the church, government, health agencies, and community organizations, these efforts can become an integral part of a holistic and sustainable stunting reduction strategy. In addition, this counseling can also help raise the quality of life of children and families in the long term.

Psychosocial support provided by the church has an important role in efforts to reduce stunting. In addition to the physical aspects, attention to the psychological and social aspects of stunting is essential to improve the quality of life of stunted children and their families. The church, as a social and religious institution, has strong access to the local community and can be a very meaningful source of support. By providing counseling, support groups, and psychosocial education, the church can help families overcome the challenges they face and achieve improvements in the quality of life of stunted children. Thus, the psychosocial support of the church is an important component of a holistic approach to addressing the problem of stunting at the community level.

CONCLUSIONS

Church participation in reducing stunting can make a valuable contribution to the prevention and treatment of this problem. With access to local communities, available resources, and the ability to provide social and psychosocial support, the church can be an effective partner in efforts to overcome stunting. However, keep in mind that this approach must be done carefully so as not to conflict with religious values and ensure that health messages are conveyed accurately and usefully. With cooperation between the church, government, and various other stakeholders, reducing stunting can be more affordable and successful.

From the results of the study, it can be seen that the views of parents who have stunted children on the role of the church in overcoming the problem of stunting is very positive. They regard the church as a meaningful source of moral, social, and practical support. The church assists in providing nutritional assistance, nutritional counseling, access to medical care, as well as emotional accompaniment. In addition, the church also plays a role in creating awareness about stunting in the community, reducing stigma, and facilitating the Coordination of assistance from various parties. This reflects the church’s important role in helping families facing stunting issues in their communities.

Through this research, it is hoped that the church can develop a more structured and sustainable nutrition education program for its community members. This can include counseling on the importance of nutritious food, healthy ways of cooking, and good nutritional practices for children. The church may consider having a trained chaperone team to support families with stunted children. This team can advise on child care, help coordinate medical care, and provide emotional support. Cooperation between churches and local health agencies, non-governmental organizations, and governments is needed to improve families ‘ access to the health care needed for stunted children.

SUGGESTION

From the results of the above research, there are some suggestions that can be taken to further improve the role of the church in overcoming the problem of stunting, namely:

1. Further research is needed on the role of the church in developing more structured and sustainable nutrition education programs for members of its community. Further research can focus on the analysis of how the church as a religious institution can help development programs, especially health development, in its efforts to address the issue of stunting and the impact of the church’s role in reducing stunting rates.
2. The church may consider having a trained team of chaplains to support families with stunted children. This team can advise on child care, help coordinate medical care, and provide emotional support.
3. The church can work with local health agencies, non-governmental organizations, and governments to improve families’ access to needed health care for stunted children.
4. Organizing periodic nutrition programs, such as the distribution of nutritious meals, can help families in need. The church can act as a distribution and coordination point for this kind of program.
5. Churches can hold social events and community meetings aimed at raising awareness about stunting, reducing stigma, and creating an atmosphere of togetherness within the community.
6. The church can be a driver of health advocacy in its community. They can support policy-change efforts to improve access to quality health care.
7. The church can enter into partnerships with donors and other organizations concerned with stunting issues. This can help in obtaining more resources to support families in need.

By taking these steps, the church can be more effective in helping families with stunted children in their communities and act as agents of positive change in efforts to address the problem of stunting more broadly.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Together with the completion of this research and community service article, the researchers would like to thank the DIPA of Nusa Cendana University for funding this research until its completion. We would also want to thank the people of Oefafi district, as well as the Oefafi Bethel Church, for their time, ideas, and contributions to this research. We are also grateful to the head of the Sociology study program, who gave us permission and the opportunity to conduct this research and write an article.

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