A Twitter-Based Big-Data Study of Stunting Related to Food Safety Incidents

¹ Department of Nutrition Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang, Central Java, 50275, Indonesia
² Center of Nutrition Research (CENURE), Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang, Central Java, 50275, Indonesia
³ Koriyama Women University, Fukushima 963-8503, Japan

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Stunting, a consequence of chronic malnutrition, is a significant public health issue in Indonesia. Foodborne illnesses such as food poisoning can contribute to poor nutrition, particularly in young children. While the government has implemented policies to ensure food safety, reports on incidents remain limited and fragmented. Twitter offers a potential source of real-time public health data. However, existing studies have focused on short-term datasets and rarely explored food safety incidents in relation to stunting. This research presents Twitter data on food safety incidents related to stunting and provides recommendations. Tweets related to food safety and stunting were collected using Twitter API v2 and analyzed to identify trends, events, and public concerns. Malnutrition was frequently mentioned as a key contributor to stunting. Tweets reported incidents of food poisoning affecting toddlers, especially during public events such as immunization. Some users promoted traditional remedies to treat diarrhea, raising concerns about misinformation. These findings indicate the need for public education and government involvement to promote evidence-based information. A centralized database of foodborne illnesses is suggested to improve prevention efforts. Collaborative efforts involving government and non-governmental organizations are recommended to improve awareness, counter misinformation, and strengthen reporting systems.