CEBU CITY – The National Nutrition Council (NNC-7) in Central Visayas is pleased to report that cases of malnutrition in the region has stabilized this year and have returned to the pre-pandemic numbers based on the 2022 Operation Timbang (OPT) Plus data that NNC-7 presented to the members of the Media Information Network for Nutrition and Development (MIND-7) during its meeting on March 28 as the government launched the Philippine Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Program starting this year.
NNC-7 regional coordinator Parolita Mission lauded the role of the MIND-7 organization here in its continuing advocacy on the nutrition issue in the region with the participation of nutrition correspondents, reporters, bloggers and vloggers and social media influencers in the campaign for good nutrition that enabled people to somehow change their nutritional and healthy behaviors.
Mission, in her opening message said that the MIND-7 organization helped a lot in persuading policy makers to make nutrition one of their priority agenda, modifying the behaviors of mothers and caregivers on positive caring and nurturing practices especially in the First 1000 Days of a child’s life and rallying multi-sectoral participation and bringing stakeholders together to be involved in addressing stunting and other forms of malnutrition.
Mission remarks augurs well with the country’s launching of the Philippine Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Project in Manila with the presence of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. Mission called on all local executives to heed the challenge of the government by implementing locally nutrition specific, sensitive and enabling programs.
Malnutrition numbers in CV are good
Cases of malnutrition in Central Visayas had stabilized this year with the underweight prevalence decreased to 3.6 percent compared to 3.97 percent in 2019 and a big spike of 4.9 percent in 2021, based on the 2022 OPT-Plus monitoring.
Obesity cases which was high during the height of the pandemic has also stabilized. In 2022, the prevalence rate of obesity decreased to 2.8 percent from 3.1 percent in 2021 — while in 2019, the prevalence rate was 2.78 percent.
Stunting or chronic malnutrition cases in the region have also decreased, from 9.7 percent in 2021 (1 out of 10 children) to 8.5 percent in 2022 (2 in every 25 children) in 2022.
Acute malnutrition or wasting cases in the region have also decreased. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, 14,382 children suffered from acute malnutrition. These cases increased to 17,884 children in 2021 while in 2022, the number of wasting or acute malnutrition in the region decreased to 14,503 cases.
47 LGUs continue
the 3rd and 4th phases of TKSP in CV
Meanwhile, 47 local government units from the four provinces in Central Visayas are to continue to implement the 3rd and 4th phases of the Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program (TKSP) that was launched in July 2022 but had met several logistic challenges that lead to officially start last February 16, 2023 with the identified 3,800 children 6-59 months of age that are given an additional one meal every day for six months.
This one meal, provided by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) for six months, children would be able to reach proper amounts of energy and nutrients to warrant the sustainability of weight gain and prevent long-term malnutrition (stunting) and its effects such as underdevelopment, vulnerability to diseases, and even death.
With long-term malnutrition or stunting among children below five remaining to be relevant problem in the region with 55,741 strong in 2022, a clear-cut solution is a must to make a dent in the nutrition problem.
The program does not only feed children but
also equips their mothers/caregivers with the right knowledge, skills and
attitudes to build a conducive environment for the children to grow and thrive.
This strategy is in-line targets of investing in its human capital and hopes to
produce a healthier, brighter, and taller nation in the near future.
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