Addressing stunting in BARMM

TODAY, the Philippines ends its 48th yearly celebration of Nutrition Month. The National Nutrition Council (NNC), which was created through Presidential Decree (PD) 491 in June 1974, has been leading the nationwide nutrition campaign every July, with annual themes that raise greater awareness among Filipinos about malnutrition prevention, and the importance of healthy eating habits that are essential for human growth and development. This year, it has promoted the theme "New normal na nutrisyon, sama-samang gawan ng solusyon! (New normal nutrition, together we find solutions!) I am suggesting that amid the pandemic, we should continue to address our major public nutrition issue, particularly the reduction of undernutrition among a large segment of Filipino children under 5 years old.

Evidence obtained from the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DoST-FNRI) surveys has shown that undernutrition among children younger than 5 years old has not changed in the past 30 years. One-third of these children are stunted, or small for the expected height for their age. Stunting is an indication of prolonged undernutrition. This happens during the first 1,000 days of the child's life, i.e., from conception until the age of 2, because if the height growth and brain development were not attained during this period, this condition as stated in the June 2021 World Bank report about undernutrition in the Philippines, is "irrecoverable and is associated with measurable negative consequences for health, impaired cognitive development, reduced earnings in adulthood and increased risk of developing chronic diseases." The same report highlighted that the Philippines' high stunting prevalence rate ranked fifth in East Asia and the Pacific, and 1 of 10 countries worldwide. Many young children also suffer from micronutrient insufficiencies.