THE Nutrition Division of the City Health Office (ND-CHO) chief is alarmed by the number of stunted children in Davao City.
Based on the recent data from the ND-CHO there is a 3.59 percent rate of stunting in the city.
According to Unicef, stunting is the impaired development and growth experienced by children due to a deficiency in nutrients. It can be observed when children’s height is not appropriate for their age.
Although in a national category, the rate of stuntedness in Davao is low, still, ND-CHO encourages mothers to visit their nearest healthcare centers and avail of the prenatal care given by professionals.
Among the 182 barangays in Davao City, Barangay Gumitan ranked first in the areas with the most children affected by stunting, followed by Salapawan, Tapak, Malamba, Dalaglumot, Datu Salumay, Pandaitan, New Carmen, Baganihan, and Magsaysay.
ND-CHO stated that some factors affecting the growth of Dabawenyo children are lack of resources, little to no information about nutrition, and negligence of parents. With this, the government is intensifying its campaign against stunting to prevent further damage to a child's health since stuntedness in a child ages zero to nine months old is irreversible.
Even though the government is adamant about pursuing zero-stunted children in the city, ND-CHO said that they are experiencing difficulty in promoting better nutrition because of the language barrier and unwillingness of expecting mothers to visit healthcare centers due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Gina-awhag namo tanan mga parents, communities nato, ug individuals na ayaw mo kahadlok og naay mag suroy-suroy sa inyuha kay naka-ID man pod na sila baranggay nutrition scholars. Magpatimbang ug magpasukod sila kay arun masuta natu ug kinahanglan ba sila ug medical assistance ug para sa atoang nutrition counseling (I am encouraging parents, communities, and individuals not to be afraid of the barangay nutrition scholars since they are wearing their IDs when they roam around your community because they will just weight and measure heights so they can see whether your child needs medical assistance or nutrition counseling),” Nutrition Division City Health Office Chief Elizabeth Banzon said during the iSpeak media forum on July 13.