Empowering Women to Combat the Stunting Crisis: Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections and Indonesia’s Path to National Prosperity, Hemma Yulfi, Poppy Hasibuan, Dewi Darlan

Hemma Yulfi
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara
Medan
Indonesia
Poppy Anjeliza Zaitun Hasibuan
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Sumatera Utara
Medan
Indonesia
Dewi Masyithah Darlan
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara
Medan
Indonesia

DOI: 10.47556/B.OUTLOOK2026.24.1
Received: 2026 / Revised: 2026 / Accepted: 2026 / Published: 2026

Purpose: Child stunting remains a major public health and development challenge in Indonesia, threatening progress toward Golden Indonesia 2045 and long-term national prosperity. This study examines the role of women’s empowerment in disrupting the cycle between soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections and child stunting.
Methodology: A systematic review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, database to identify peer-reviewed studies published in the last decade. Articles were screened using predefined inclusion criteria related to women’s empowerment, STH infections, and child stunting, and relevant data were narratively synthesized.
Findings: STH infections are consistently associated with child stunting, particularly in rural and resource-constrained settings. Higher levels of women’s education, financial autonomy, and engagement with health services are linked to lower reinfection rates and improved child nutritional outcomes.
Value: This study highlights women’s empowerment as a strategic, gender-responsive pathway to strengthen nutrition, reduce preventable infections, and support sustainable human capital development in Indonesia.
Keywords: Stunting; Soil-Transmitted Helminths; Women’s Empowerment; Gender Equality; Child Nutrition; Human Capital Development; Indonesia; Sustainable Development
Citation: Yulfi, H., Hasibuan, P. A. Z. and Darlan, D. M. (2026): Empowering Women to Combat the Stunting Crisis: Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections and Indonesia’s Path to National Prosperity. In Ahmed, A. (Ed.): World Sustainable Development Outlook 2026, Vol. 22, pp. xx-xx. WASD: London, United Kingdom.