BAGUIO CITY (PIA) –The National Nutrition Council in the Cordillera Administrative Region (NNC-CAR) is scaling up the nutrition movement in the region to have more advocates for healthy lifestyles, healthy living and healthy bodies.
“Dahil bawat buhay ay mahalaga, importante ang tamang nutrition from birth to old age, and the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) is our guide to achieving a healthy Filipino community, ” NNC-CAR Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Bella Basalong said during the launching of the Regional Plan of Action for Nutrition (RPAN) and the 2024 Regional Nutrition Month in the city on July 9.
Basalong said the NNC is pushing for a better nutrition movement where everybody is involved by gathering more stakeholders for the nutrition cause. This is aligned with Cordillera RPAN 2023-2028 that charts the path to address malnutrition, improve nutritional well-being, and strengthen nutrition governance in the region.
It is eyeing to increase the number of sectoral nutrition councils that will help boost the information campaign to improve the health condition of the people in the Cordillera, especially for children aged zero to five years old.
She said that with effective councils, the community becomes healthier.
Among the active sectoral nutri councils in the region is the Cordillera Administrative Region Media Educators on Nutrition (CAR-MENu) that does not just come up with activities for the different sectors but also writes about the importance of nutrition in the daily lives of people.
The NNC CAR has also partnered with the business, academe, civil society, and youth sectors to work together in helping address malnutrition.
“We hope mas dumami pa sila (there will be more) who will engage more sectors to engage in nutrition,” Basalong said.
Data provided by the NNC-CAR show that the Cordillera recorded a 5.96 percent stunting prevalence among zero to 59-month-old children in 2023, with Mountain Province registering the highest rate at 11.47 percent rate based on health reference.
Abra and Apayao are medium rates with 9.16 and 9.96 percent, respectively. Benguet,5.23 percent; Ifugao, 4.07 percent; Kalinga, 6.81 percent, and Baguio City, 1.5 percent.
For the prevalence of wasting among the same age group, the region recorded a 1.4 percent.
For underweight, the region has a prevalence rate of 2.44 percent while for overweight and obesity, the region logged a 2.02 percent rate with Apayao recording a high rate of 2.97, and Abra with 2.54 percent.
“We have to treat the triple burden of malnutrition. To address this, we have to have three strategies which include promoting a healthier diet, improving nutrition behavior among the constituents and improving the delivery of nutrition and services,” Basalong said.
She said that more advocates for healthier bodies will allow the region to have better health and nutrition conditions, thus having healthier generations. **MAWC-PIA CAR
