WITH stunting remaining as the top malnutrition problem in Central Visayas in 2023, the National Nutrition Council in Central Visayas (NNC 7) has urged local government units (LGUs) to step up their intervention against malnutrition.
Dr. Parolita Mission, NNC 7 nutrition program coordinator, said LGUs have to invest in solutions and interventions against all forms of malnutrition.
“Focus on the first 1,000 days of a child’s life from pre-pregnancy to two years of age as an effective strategy against stunting in children,” Parolita said in a statement on Thursday, April 11, 2024.
The NNC 7 recorded a decline in the prevalence of malnutrition in all its forms including stunting, wasting, underweight and overweight in 2023 as evidenced by the annual Operation Timbang Plus (OPT Plus) results of children under five years old.
But stunting was still the highest among the forms of malnutrition, the agency said.
The results showed a decrease in malnutrition prevalence for stunting (low height for age) from 8.5 percent in 2022 to 7.2 percent in 2023.
For wasting (low weight for height), the prevalence slid to 1.4 percent in 2023 from 2.2 percent in 2022, while the prevalence of underweight (low weight for age) children declined to 3.2 percent in 2023 from 3.6 percent in 2022.
For the overweight (high weight for height) category, NNC 7 recorded a downtick to 2.1 percent in 2023 from 2.8 percent in 2022.
Chronic
According to the World Health Organization, stunting happens as “a result of chronic or recurrent undernutrition, usually associated with poverty, poor maternal health and nutrition, frequent illness and/or inappropriate feeding and care in early life.”
It added that stunting prevents children from reaching their physical and cognitive potential.
For stunting, the prevalence rates were 4.7 percent or 5,538 children in Negros Oriental, 3.5 percent or 9,725 children in Cebu, 3.11 percent or 179 children in Siquijor, and 2.2 percent or 2,165 children in Bohol, according to the statement.
Other factors leading to the decrease in the prevalence of malnutrition in all forms since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, according to the NNC 7, was the decrease in OPT coverage from 82.4 percent to 78.8 percent.
The OPT Plus determines the nutritional status of children by making an annual child growth assessment of all 0- to 59-month-old children in the barangays. It locates under- or over-nourished children, and guides local government units in nutrition program management.
The interventions include (a) supplementary feeding and micronutrient supplementation of pregnant women, (b) promotion and support for breastfeeding, (c) and regular growth monitoring of weight and height.
According to the NNC 7, these interventions are under the 2023-2028 Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition or PPAN, a guide for LGUs’ commitment in addressing nutrition and food security challenges in the country. / EHP