Sunday, March 02, 2008 Underfed children to test Talisay's resolve
TALISAY City reported the highest number of malnourished pre-school children among the 12 cities in Central Visayas.
Dr. Parolita Mission, National Nutrition Council (NNC) 7 program coordinator, called for an immediate reorganization of the Talisay City Nutrition Committee to improve the children’s health.
“We hope that the proposed reorganization...can make a dent in improving the nutrition status of the at-risk population in Talisay City,” read Mission’s Feb. 22 letter to Mayor Socrates Fernandez.
Engineer Christine Homez, city planning and development coordinator, also described as alarming the malnutrition rate among the city’s pre-school population.
“It is highly recommended that an immediate and an integrated action/measure be taken to address this problem,” said Homez’s Feb. 26 letter to Fernandez.
NNC records showed that the number of malnourished pre-school children in Talisay City has risen from 2005 to 2007.
Although it dropped to 11.49 percent in 2005 from 13.85 in the previous year, it rose again to P12.19 percent in 2006.
As a result of the NNC’s Operation Timbang in 2007, Talisay’s prevalence rate rose further at 16.35 percent, the highest among the 12 cities in Central Visayas.
Canlaon City in Oriental Negros was a far second at 11.72 percent, followed by Bayawan City, 10.29; Cebu City, 7.35; and Dumaguete City, 6.42.
Talisay City’s prevalence rate was even higher compared to the four provinces in Region 7, where Oriental Negros has the highest rate of 11.88 percent.
Cebu Province followed at 10.51, while Bohol and Siquijor ranked third and fourth, at 9.89 and 9.82 percent, respectively. (GC)
