Depok, December 22, 2025 — The Faculty of Administrative Sciences, Universitas Indonesia (FIA UI), together with the Depok City Government, is strengthening efforts to prevent stunting from adolescence through the launch of the STAR (Stunting Warrior) program. This program is a collaborative innovation initiated by the Depok City Health Office and the Depok City Office of Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection, Population Control, and Family Planning (DP3AP2KB), with academic support from FIA UI.

The launch of STAR was motivated by the still low coverage of iron supplementation tablet consumption among adolescent girls, which has only reached 31.3 percent. This condition increases the risk of anemia among adolescents, which has the potential to continue into stunting in the next generation. Stunting not only affects health outcomes but also hinders the quality of human resources amid the momentum of the Demographic Bonus toward Indonesia Emas 2045.

The Head of the Depok City Health Office emphasized that the STAR program is designed as a sustainable movement that places adolescents as the main agents of change.

“The STAR program is a manifestation of the Depok City Government’s commitment to systematically reducing the prevalence of adolescent anemia and stunting. The success of this program depends greatly on the active participation of adolescents as ambassadors of change who are able to transmit positive influence within their communities,” he stated.

Support from FIA UI also underscores the importance of cross-sector collaboration in public health development. The Dean of the Faculty of Administrative Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Prof. Dr. Dra. Retno Kusumastuti Hardjono, M.Si., conveyed that the involvement of higher education institutions is part of the university’s strategic role for society.

“Universitas Indonesia is present not only as a center of knowledge, but also as a development partner. Through its involvement in the Duta GenRe and STAR programs, FIA UI promotes collaborative governance that involves government, academics, and the community, with adolescents as the main subjects of development. This is a tangible implementation of administrative science for the welfare of the nation,” she explained.

Through STAR, adolescents are encouraged to become Stunting Warriors, namely agents of change who are courageous, caring, and knowledgeable, with concrete actions ranging from routinely consuming iron supplementation tablets, conducting peer education, to utilizing social media to disseminate accurate and responsible information.

This program also opens participation opportunities for youth organizations, such as student councils and GenRe, to join the STAR Brigade and strengthen stunting prevention efforts in school and community environments.

FIA UI and the Depok City Government believe that the greatest investment to realize Indonesia Emas 2045 begins with healthy, aware, and empowered adolescents. Every Duta GenRe and Stunting Warrior involved becomes an essential part of breaking the chain of stunting and building a superior future generation.

With the spirit of cross-sector collaboration, the STAR program is expected to become a best practice for adolescent participation-based stunting prevention that can be replicated in other regions.