Pemerintah daerah Kabupaten Kudus telah berkomitmen untuk percepatan pencegahan kasus stunting dan berupaya dalam mewujudkan Kudus zero stunting dengan menerbitkan Peraturan Bupati Kudus No. 53 tahun 2020 tentang Percepatan Pencegahan Stunting di Kabupaten Kudus. Namun pelaksanaan konvergensi di Kabupaten Kudus belum berjalan optimal. Hasil rapat kerja penilaian aksi konvergensi pencegaham stunting terintegrasi di Jawa Tengah tahun 2020, kapasitas pelaksanaan analisis situasi dan inputing serta kualitas analisis situasi dengan keterlibatan lintas sektor di Kabupaten Kudus belum optimal, rembug stunting belum dilakukan secara intensif, dan belum adanya regulasi untuk memperkuat publikasi pencegahan stunting. Selain itu pandemi COVID-19 menimbulkan adanya refocusing anggaran dari pelayanan dan program yang lain termasuk pencegahan stunting. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk menganalisis implementasi kebijakan percepatan pencegahan stunting pada masa pandemi COVID-19 di Kabupaten Kudus. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif. Pengambilan data dilakukan melalui wawancara mendalam kepada informan dan telaah dokumen dengan framework Edward III meliputi variabel komunikasi, sumber daya, disposisi, dan struktur birokrasi dan Van Meter dan Van Horn meliputi variabel lingkungan ekonomi, sosial dan politik. Informan penelitian yaitu perwakilan dari perangkat daerah yang tergabung dalam tim percepatan pencegahan stunting pada tingkat kabupaten, kecamatan, maupun desa/kelurahan serta Kader Pembangunan Manusia (KPM). Penelitian dilakukan bulan April hingga Mei 2022. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa implementasi kebijakan sudah berjalan namun intervensi gizi sensitif belum maksimal, komunikasi yang dilakukan terbatas dikarenakan kondisi pandemi COVID-19, sumber daya yang tersedia cukup memadai, terdapat panduan kebijakan yang telah diketahui dan dipahami oleh pelaksana kebijakan, koordinasi yang terjalin belum optimal, lingkungan ekonomi dan sosial yang belum cukup mendukung dan lingkungan politik cukup mendukung kebijakan. Kesimpulannya implementasi kebijakan percepatan pencegahan stunting pada masa pandemi COVID-19 belum berjalan dengan optimal dengan masih adanya kendala pada variabel sumber daya manusia, koordinasi, serta lingkungan ekonomi dan sosial. Dengan demikian pelaksanaan konvergensi masih perlu ditingkatkan dengan melaksanakan kegiatan secara koordinatif antar lembaga. Sosialisasi kepada masyarakat tetap digencarkan agar tujuan kebijakan dapat tercapai. Diperlukan adanya penyesuaian kebijakan dengan Perpres terbaru tantang percepatan penurunan stunting.

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The local government of Kudus Regency has committed to accelerating the handling of stunting cases and is trying to realize Kudus zero stunting by issuing Regional Regulation Number 53/2020 concerning the Acceleration of Stunting Prevention in Kudus Regency. However, the implementation of convergence in Kudus has not run optimally. The results of the work meeting on the assessment of the integrated stunting prevention convergence action in Central Java in 2020, the capacity for implementing situation analysis and inputting as well as the quality of situation analysis with cross-sectoral involvement in Kudus Regency has not been optimal, the stunting discussion has not been carried out intensively, and there are no regulations to strengthen publications of stunting prevention. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a refocusing of the budget from other services and programs, including stunting prevention. The purpose of this study is to analyze the implementation of policies to accelerate stunting prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kudus Regency. This research is qualitative research. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with informants and document review with the Edward III framework covering the variables of communication, resources, disposition, and bureaucratic structure and Van Meter and Van Horn covering variables of the economic, social and political environment. Research informants are representatives from regional apparatus who are members of the stunting prevention acceleration team at the district, sub-district, and village/kelurahan levels as well as the Human Development Cadre (KPM). The study was conducted from April to May 2022. The results show that policy implementation has been running but sensitive nutrition interventions have not been maximized, communication is limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the available resources are adequate, and there are policy guidelines that are known and understood by policy implementers, coordination is not optimal. , the economic and social environment is not yet sufficiently supportive and the political environment is sufficiently supportive of policies. In conclusion, the implementation of the policy to accelerate stunting prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic has not run optimally, with constraints on human resource variables, coordination, as well as the economic and social environment. Thus, the implementation of convergence still needs to be improved by carrying out activities in a coordinated manner between institutions. Socialization to the community continues to be intensified so that policy objectives can be achieved. This policy need to be adjusted with the latest Presidential Regulation on accelerating stunting reduction.