Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Aug 23;21(9):1114.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph21091114.

Addressing Health Illiteracy and Stunting in Culture-Shocked Indigenous Populations: A Case Study of Outer Baduy in Indonesia

Liza Diniarizky Putri  1 , Herlina Agustin  1 , Iriana Bakti  1 , Jenny Ratna Suminar  1
Affiliations

Addressing Health Illiteracy and Stunting in Culture-Shocked Indigenous Populations: A Case Study of Outer Baduy in Indonesia

Liza Diniarizky Putri et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

This research aims to determine the factors, impacts, and solutions for health literacy in the Outer Baduy hamlets of Kanekes Village, Indonesia. The method used in this research is qualitative, which produces an in-depth explanation of the existing problems. Data were collected through interviews and documentation. Interviews were conducted with key figures, including two female Baduy residents with stunted children, one retainer, the head of the NGO SRI, a midwife who works in the Baduy village, and the head of the Lebak social service. Apart from that, secondary data in the form of recordings of community service talk shows conducted by the University of Indonesia to overcome stunting in Baduy were also analysed. The results show that the factors associated with the low health literacy of the Baduy community are literacy, writing and reading, taboos on eating certain foods, people spending too much time in the fields, people learning by imitating their parents, demanding access to villages, lack of consistency from external parties in providing health programs, and gender segregation in Baduy society. The impact of the low health literacy of the Baduy community is fatalism, high maternal and child mortality rates, and high health costs. The proposed strategies for increasing the health literacy of the Baduy community based on the findings of this research include developing health literacy by targeting community leaders, managing information-technology-based health-information groups, and always presenting at least one health worker among the residents who provides an example of healthy living, encouraging collective reflection. when health cases occur, and balancing gender communication.

Keywords: Baduy tribe; Indigenous communities; health communication; health literacy; stunting.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The sponsors had no role in the design, execution, interpretation, or writing of the study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The location of the Baduy community. Map source: Wikipedia and Google Maps, CC BY-SA 3.0.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Adcock A., Cram F., Edmonds L., Lawton B. Culturally Safe Neonatal Care: Talking with Health Practitioners Identified as Champions by Indigenous Families. Qual. Health Res. 2023;33:531–542. doi: 10.1177/10497323231164550. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ugarte-Gil M.F., Fuentes-Silva Y., Pimentel-Quiroz V.R., Pons-Estel G.J., Quintana R., Pons-Estel B.A., Alarcón G.S. Global Excellence in Rheumatology in Latin America: The Case of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Front. Med. 2023;9:988191. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.988191. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Marcelin J.R., Swartz T.H., Bernice F., Berthaud V., Christian R., Da Costa C., Fadul N., Floris-Moore M., Hlatshwayo M., Johansson P., et al. Addressing and Inspiring Vaccine Confidence in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic. Open Forum Infect. Dis. 2021;8:ofab417. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab417. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Banna M.H.A., Hamiduzzaman M., Kundu S., Ara T., Abid M.T., Brazendale K., Seidu A.-A., Disu T.R., Mozumder N.H.M.R., Frimpong J.B., et al. The Association Between Bangladeshi Adults’ Demographics, Personal Beliefs, and Nutrition Literacy: Evidence From a Cross-Sectional Survey. Front. Nutr. 2022;9:867926. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.867926. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Orellana J.D.Y., Gatica-Domínguez G., Vaz J.D.S., Neves P.A.R., De Vasconcellos A.C.S., De Souza Hacon S., Basta P.C. Intergenerational Association of Short Maternal Stature with Stunting in Yanomami Indigenous Children from the Brazilian Amazon. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public. Health. 2021;18:9130. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18179130. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources