|
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Cebu tops list of underfed kids
By Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
One of every four schoolchildren in Central Visayas is underweight, according to last year’s Department of Education (DepEd) 7 health and nutrition division.
National figures also show a similar trend, prompting the government to focus nutrition programs on school children this year.
For next month’s Nutrition Month celebration, the government has come up with activities in line with the theme, “Kumain nang right, para maging batang bright.”
However, Grace Espos of DepEd 7’s health and nutrition division said the situation in the region alone is “alarming.”
This is especially true for the grade one level, which has the most number of underweight children.
The DepEd 7 nutritional status report for the last school year stated that 209,620 of over 800,000 public elementary school pupils weighed less than normal.
Of the number, 45,441 were grade one pupils.
Cebu Province topped the list, since 76,929 of its more than 300,000 schoolchildren have “below normal” weights.
Of the 15 school divisions, Toledo is third, Lapu-Lapu is fifth, Talisay ranks seventh, Cebu City is eighth, while Mandaue and Danao are ninth and 13th, respectively.
However, Espos said the situation of the region’s children has improved from the previous year.
She made the report during yesterday’s Regional Nutrition Committee sales conference on the nutrition of school-age children and 2006 Nutrition Month advocacy meeting.
DepEd 7 attributes the improvement to the School Milk Project, which helped 5,000 grade one pupils from 34 schools in the school divisions of Danao City, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu City, Cebu Province and Mandaue City.
The government also conducted a Breakfast Feeding Program, where 3,500 grade one pupils from 23 schools in three school divisions received noodles fortified with vitamin A, iron and iodine.
The Food for School program also benefited grade one pupils from the country’s fifth and sixth-class municipalities. Children in these areas were given one kilo of rice per day after school.
The program improved the attendance rate of pupils.
There was also a supplementary feeding of about 100,000 underweight pupils from grades two to six and pre-schoolers.
However, participants in yesterday’s activity raised the question of sustainability of nutrition campaigns through feeding programs.
Parolita Mission, regional nutrition program coordinator of the National Nutrition Council 7, said they already appealed to socio-civic groups, like the Rotary Club, to help in nutrition education and livelihood for parents.
She agrees that feeding programs promote a “mendicancy attitude” and does not have a lasting impact on nutrition campaigns.
Inah Archival of Julie’s Bakeshop said they opt to support nutrition programs that have “tangible results” among malnourished children.
One participant lamented that nutrition programs are only discussed during the annual observance of nutrition month.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 24, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
