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2020 Nutrition Month Presentation 29 June 2020.pptx
- 1. 46th Nutrition Month July 2020 1
- 2. Generate Commitments among various stakeholders to scale-up nutrition actions Stimulate Discourse on stunting to understand its causes and the multi-sectoral solutions for increased investments in interventions Raise Awareness on the impact of stunting and evidence-based solutions to prevent stunting; 2
- 3. 3
- 4. TRUE or FALSE? 4 BatangPinoysareshortbecause Pinoysarenaturallyshort? Source: UNICEF Philippines/2019/Shehzad Noorani
- 7. the percentage of children aged 0 to 59 months (under 5 years old) whose height for age is below -2 standard deviation (moderate and severe stunting) and -3 standard deviations (severe stunting) from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards 7
- 8. Median height Severe stunting Moderate stunting 110 cm 96.1 to 100.7 cm <96.1 cm 109.4 cm 99.9 cm to 95.2 cm <95.2 cm (3’7”) 8
- 9. Poor maternal health and nutrition Infections Inadequate infant and young child feeding practices 9
- 10. A decrease in stunting rates is a long-term indicator of fair social development Stunting as an indicator is best for use in evaluation and not for monitoring 10
- 11. “Childhood stunting is one of the most significant impediments to human development, globally affecting approximately 162 million children under the age of 5 years.” - World Health Organization (WHO), 2014 11
- 12. Stunting is an irreversible outcome of inadequate nutrition and repeated bouts of infection during the First 1000 days. By 2025, about 127 million children under 5 years will be stunted. 12
- 13. Reduced learning capacity • Poor school performance • Delayed enrollment in school • Higher absenteeism • Repetition of grades • One less year of schooling 13
- 14. Less income Stunted children earn 20% less as adults than their non-stunted counterparts (Source: Grantham-McGregor, Cheung, Cueto et al. 2007) 14
- 15. • Greater risk of becoming overweight or obese • Increased risk to coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension and diabetes More prone to non-communicable diseases 15
- 16. Impact on behavioral development • Stunted children are more apathetic, display less exploratory behavior, have altered physiological arousal • Tend to have more anxiety, depression, and lower self-esteem compared to non-stunted children 16
- 17. Never Stunted Growth Stunted Growth 17 Source: https://www.powerofnutrition.org/the-impact-of-stunting
- 18. Loss in economic productivity • 1% loss in adult height = 1.4% loss in economic productivity • Reduced income per capita by 7% • Cost of childhood undernutrition in the Philippines: 1.5 – 3% of GDP per year 18
- 19. • Higher test scores on cognitive assessments and activity level • 33% more likely to escape poverty 19
- 20. 1 in 3 (30.3%) Stunted children 0-59 months old Classified as high in magnitude and severity based on WHO cut-off points About 3.5 to 4 million children 20
- 21. Source: Save the Children. “Sizing up: the Stunting and Child Malnutrition Problem in the Philippines” 21
- 22. Source: Expanded National Nutrition Survey, 2018. FNRI-DOST. 22
- 23. Globally, from 2000 to 2017, stunting rates fell from 32.6% to 22.2%. Mongolia, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Peru and Bolivia have made remarkable reductions in stunting 23
- 24. • High level political commitment • Integration of nutrition into social protection strategies • An effective behavior change strategy • Joint programming model (Zero undernutrition) • Integrating promotion of breastfeeding and use of complementary foods from 6-23 months in interventions • Access to clean water, sanitation, education, health care and nutrition services Peru Bolivia 24
- 25. Source: Angeles-Agdeppa, I., Gayya-Amita, P and Capanzana, M. Drivers of Stunting Among 0-23 Months Old Filipino Children Included in the 2003 and 2011 National Nutrition Survey. Accessed on 15 June from http://www.lifescienceglobal.com/pms/index.php/ijchn/article/view/6091 • Stunting increased from 17.2% in 2003 to 35.2% in 2011. • About 22.1% became stunted later; persistently stunted (13.1%); 4.1% were no longer stunted. • No significant factors found on what moves a child out of stunting. 25
- 26. • Older age onset of stunting • Underweight • Less than 2 years birth interval • More than 5 dependents • Higher number of under-fives in the family • Living in shanties pushed normal children to stunting Source: Angeles-Agdeppa, I., Gayya-Amita, P and Capanzana, M. Drivers of Stunting Among 0-23 Months Old Filipino Children Included in the 2003 and 2011 National Nutrition Survey. Accessed on 15 June from http://www.lifescienceglobal.com/pms/index.php/ijchn/article/view/6091 Individual Factors Household Factors 26
- 27. Source: Prendergast, A.J. and Humphrey J.H. 27
- 28. Why Are So Many Children Stunted in the Philippines? • Poor mother’s health and nutrition • Teen pregnancy Before birth • Poor dietary diversity of children • High food insecurity • Access to clean drinking water • With single mothers After birth Source: Capanzana, M., Demombynes, G. and Gubbins, P. Why Are So Many Children Stunted in the Philippines?”. Policy Research Working Paper 9294. World Bank Group . June 2020. 28
- 29. Plan period Baseline Target Reduction level 1993-1998 No target, only underweight 1999-2004 No target, only underweight 2005-2010 29.0% 25.4% 3.6 pts (12%) 2011-2016 32.3% 20.9% 11.4 pts (35%) 2017-2022 33.4% 21.4% 12.0 pts (36%) 29 Source: National Nutrition Council.
- 30. 30
- 31. PPAN Priority actions with focus on the First 1000 Days 1. Maternity protection and improving capacities of workplaces on breastfeeding 2. Establishing lactation stations in non-health establishments 3. Nutrition promotion for behavior change 4. Supplementary feeding of pregnant women and children 6- 23 months, 24-59 months, and school children 5. Iron-folic acid and other micronutrients supplementation of pregnant women, as well as consumption of fortified food items 6. Prevention and management of infections and diarrhea 7. Regular growth monitoring of weight and height 31
- 32. 32 • Executive Order 51 - Philippine Milk Code • Republic Act 11148 - Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act • Republic Act 10028 - Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act • Republic Act 11210 - Expanded Maternity Leave Act • Republic Act 11037 - Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act • Republic Act 11223 - Universal Health Care Act • Republic Act 11310 – institutionalizing the 4Ps
- 33. LGU Mobilization Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) Alliances Better local planning with nutrition with corresponding DILG/DBM issuances 33
- 34. Raise stunting not just as a health issue but an economic issue and a high-level agenda for development; Increase investment in nutrition (For every Php1 invested, Php30 return in economic gain) Correct misconception that Filipinos are not meant to be short; there is no forever in stunting. Whole of government approach 34
- 35. Pregnant adolescents and women should have access to nutrition and health services to improve birth outcomes as well as responsible parenting to manage fertility Access to a variety of foods especially those that rich in protein such as meat, fish, poultry and eggs especially for 6-23 months old children Access to clean drinking water supply and sanitation and wastewater systems 35
- 36. 1. Bring your 0-23 months old child to the health center every month to monitor weight and height; for older children, bring them every three months. A child needs to reach a height of 80 centimeters when he or she is two years old and about 109-110 centimeters at 5 years of age 2. Breastfeed your baby in the first 6 months then starting at 6 months while continuing breastfeeding, give a variety of food that includes animal-source food (meat, fish, poultry, eggs) 36
- 37. 3. Practice good hygiene such as handwashing to prevent disease and get proper medical care when your child is sick 4. Participate in nutrition and health education classes. 5. Prevent teen pregnancy 6. Provide support and care to single mothers 7. Start and maintain a food garden including raising small animals as source of protein 37
- 38. 1. Establish designated lactation areas to protect children and women 2. Improve access to nutritious foods through community food gardens 3. Raise awareness about importance of proper nutrition, proper hygiene, and sanitation during the first 1000 days 4. Strengthen implementation of policies related to child nutrition 5. Encourage active involvement of community members in ECCD programs 6. Promote community development efforts and develop initiatives that improve the quality of life for young children and families 38
- 39. 1. Include nutrition actions with corresponding budget in annual investment plan for 2021 and onwards aligned with the PPAN 2. Update sectoral programs to have an impact on nutrition including: • The Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program • The Family Development Sessions • Agriculture sector to improve farmers’ incomes to improve their access to nutritious food and support the establishment of food gardens 39
- 40. 3. Improve access and delivery of maternal and child health and nutrition interventions by scaling-up the First 1000 Days strategy as provided in Republic Act 11148 (Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag- Nanay Act) 4. Use the Operation Timbang Plus results to determine children 0-23 months old with growth faltering for interventions such as dietary supplementation; conduct screening of pregnant women for nutrition risk and provide dietary supplementation in the third trimester 40
- 41. 1. Conduct webinars, online fora and other activities to increase awareness on stunting prevention 2. Increase engagement of students through online modules and quizzes 3. Conduct online video-making, poster-making, slogan-making competitions to encourage participation of students 4. Mobilize school-based organizations to launch their own initiatives 5. Explore scientific researches related to stunting 41
- 42. 1. Support efforts to prevent stunting by helping scale-up actions in the first 1000 days 2. Develop materials related to prevention of stunting and utilize virtual platforms for proper information dissemination 3. Work with government to fill the gap in terms of service delivery 4. Integrate improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in community-based interventions to protect children from subclinical infections 5. Join the Scaling-Up Nutrition Movement alliances (civil society, and business network) 42
- 43. 1. Good nutrition is key to build immunity, protect against illness and infection and support recovery. Include in Covid-19 prevention efforts to preserve and promote proper nutrition, including breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding practices among children 0-23 months to build resilience of individuals and communities. 2. Ensure food and nutrition security to prevent a food and malnutrition crisis. Prolonged hunger can lead to malnutrition which will have long-term effects especially among pregnant women and children 0-23 months. 3. Ensure that nutrition and related interventions especially in the First 1000 Days are continued and delivered in a safe and sustained manner. 43
- 44. 1. Review organization plans and tweak for nutrition outcomes 2. Disseminate Nutrition Month through streamers, websites and social media platforms 3. Conduct virtual seminars for clients and employees 4. Participate in activities related to Nutrition Month celebration at the national, regional or local levels 5. Provide services related to stunting prevention 6. Conduct Nutrition Month activities related to the theme such as cooking demonstrations on complementary food for mothers and caregivers, forum and seminars for parents; activities for adolescents to prevent teen pregnancy 44
- 45. 46th Nutrition Month July 2020 http://www.nnc.gov.ph Visit FB: First 1000 Days PH #Laking1000 #2020NutritionMonth #BatangPinoySanaTall Tel. (632) 8843-0142 Fax. (632) 8816-4239 https://www.facebook.com/nncofficial/ https:// www.twitter.com/nncofficialph https:// www.youtube.com/user/NNC1974 National Nutrition Council 2332 Chino Roces Avenue Extension Taguig City, Philippines 45
Editor's Notes
- Courtesies and greetings. Each July we level up in promoting nutrition. This year’s Nutrition Month which is actually the 46th year of observance, focuses on stunting with the theme “Batang Pinoy, SANA TALL… Iwas stunting, SAMA ALL! which expresses the aspiration of Filipino families to have children who are able to achieve their fullest potential and this can be achieved when we all work together. The sub message “Iwas ALL din sa COVID-19” is added given the pandemic and the community quarantine still in effect, it becomes more imperative to ensure nutrition among Filipinos to improve their resilience against disease and minimize the long-term effects of malnutrition.
- The campaign aims to catalyze actions to: raise awareness on the impact of stunting and evidence-based solutions among families and communities leading to change in behaviors to prevent stunting; stimulate national and local (including communities) discourse on stunting to understand its causes and the multi-sectoral solutions for increased investments in interventions; and generate concrete commitment among various stakeholders to scale-up nutrition actions. While July is designated as Nutrition Month, actions to achieve the objectives are expected to be sustained throughout the year.
- Why are we concerned about height? Height is useful in terms of determining development outcomes and the result of nutrition. Stunted means shorter than normal as compared to being wasted which is being thinner than normal. It can also happen that one is both wasted and stunted.
- Most people think that we Filipinos are just naturally short. A father or mother might say that their son is short because nasa lahi namin or it is in our genes. How about you, do you think that stunting is hereditary? (pause) Are Filipino children naturally born short? (pause) True or false?
- Here is data to compare Filipinos from other nationalities. The NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC), a network of health scientists around the world that provides rigorous and timely data on major risk factors for non-communicable diseases for all of the world’s countries, compiled the mean or average height of men and women from different countries in the last 100 years. When I start the data visualization, take note of the red line which is the mean height of the Philippines. The one on top is data for women and the one below is data for men from 1986 to 1996. Now watch… (click picture then click play arrow at the bottom to start animation). While playing, note that as years pass, other nationals are actually growing taller. But the Philippines? So, are Filipinos short because we are naturally short?
- Why are some nationalities taller than others? Let’s watch this video. (After video is shown). Height among races is not static and therefore genes do not have much to do with it. We can become taller and nutrition, better health and sanitation have something to do with it.
- We talked about adult height. Evidence shows that adult height is influenced by height while still inside the womb and in the early years. So why are Filipinos short? But first let us define stunting. When we refer to stunting or linear growth failure, we define it as the percentage of children aged 0 to 59 months (under 5 years old) whose height for age is below -2 standard deviation (moderate and severe stunting) and -3 standard deviations (severe stunting) from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) child growth standards [9, 10]. Quite a mouthful especially those who hate statistics or math. Simply put, it is being short for one’s age when compared to a standard which is the WHO Child Growth Standards. The standards are a result of very extensive multi-country study on child growth patterns which showed that children anywhere in the world will experience the same growth potential when provided with the same optimum care. This also clarifies that stunting in our context is for children and not for adults.
- Based on the WHO Growth Standards, an average boy should have reached a height of 110 cm when he is 5 years old. When his height is between 96.1 cm to 110.7 cm, then he is considered to have moderate stunting. If his height measures less than 96.1 cm., he would be classified as severely stunted. For girls, it is the same but slightly lower by about a centimeter.
- How should we view stunting? Stunting reflects the cumulative effects of undernutrition and infections since and even before birth which can be interpreted as an indication of poor environmental conditions or long-term restriction of a child’s growth potential. Stunting reflects long-term outcomes, such as frequent and high disease burden, limited access to food supply, poor feeding practices and/or low household economic status in a population. Thus, stunting is more of a population-based indicator.
- Thus, when stunting rates decrease, it reflects that social development is spread among the poor and the wealthy. Since height-for-age does not change much in the short term, stunting as an indicator is best for use in evaluation and not for monitoring. Individual information on child stature is useful as an aid to diagnosis.
- Why did the NNC choose stunting as the focus for Nutrition Month? It is because stunting impacts not just in a country but the whole world. According to the World Health Organization, childhood stunting is one of the most significant impediments to human development, globally affecting approximately 162 million children under the age of 5 years.
- Child stunting is largely an irreversible outcome of inadequate nutrition and repeated bouts of infection during the First 1000 days of a child’s life. Assuming that current trends continue, the World Health Organization estimates that by 2025 about 127 million children under five years will be stunted. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is likely that the numbers will increase.
- Stunting has grave consequences on individuals and societies both at the short and long-term. On the individual level, stunting can lead to reduced intellectual capacity and poor school performance. Stunting before the age of 2 years predicts poorer educational outcomes in later childhood and adolescence. The Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Study, revealed that children who were stunted between birth and age 2 were found to have lower cognitive test scores at the age of 8 and 11 years, associated with delayed enrollment in school, higher absenteeism and repetition of grades. Other longitudinal studies showed that adults who were stunted at the age of 2 years had less than a year of schooling than non-stunted individuals. Could stunting and not the quality of education, explain the poor school performance of Filipinos when compared to other countries?
- Stunted children who become adults learn 20 percent less than their non-stunted counterparts. Former NEDA Chief Cielito Habito, calls the stunting problem a walking timebomb because in the next 20 years, the resulting labor force would equate to tremendous losses in productivity.
- Aside from poorer educational outcomes and less income during adulthood, stunted children are more prone to developing non-communicable diseases. In stunted children, rapid weight gain after two years may result to a greater risk of becoming overweight or obese later in life which consequently increases risk to NCDs such as coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension and diabetes.
- Stunting also impacts on behavioral development. Stunted children are more apathetic, display less exploratory behavior, have altered physiological arousal. The longitudinal study in Jamaica found out that stunted children were found to be have more anxiety, depression, and lower self-esteem than non-stunted children.
- All of these consequences on the individual are likely to be traced in the early years. Preliminary results of a study on the impact of adversity on early brain development highlight the difference between the brain of a normal infant compared to one who is stunted. The figure on the left is the brain scan of a normal infant while the one on the right is the brain scan of a stunted infant. Both are three months old. Which brain would you choose? The better brain would be the one that is denser and elaborate. Depriving children of adequate nutrition, stimulation and care between conception and infancy can result to impaired brain development that leads to deficits in early child development, schooling, and learning outcomes in later life. So if we want to have more intelligent children, its really in the early years that matters.
- Stunting also affects society as a whole because of economic losses. A one percent loss in adult height due to stunting is estimated to lead to a 1.4 percent loss in economic productivity Across countries, it is estimated that stunting reduces income per capita by 7 percent Recent studies suggest that the total costs of childhood undernutrition in the Philippines is in the range of 1.5 to 3% of the annual Gross Domestic Product or GDP.
- Stunting is a direct cause for short adult height and suboptimal function in later life If we prevent stunting, the returns are enormous. Well-nourished children who are less affected by stunting in their early years have higher test scores on cognitive assessments and activity level and are 33 percent more likely to escape poverty as adults.
- What is the situation on stunting here in the country that is so alarming? Latest data from the Expanded National Nutrition Survey conducted in 2018, one in three or 30.3% of children 0-59 months old were stunted. FNRI is expected to release the results of the 2019 Expanded NNS in July so, we hope to see the figure improve. At 30%, the WHO classifies the prevalence of stunting in the Philippines as a public health problem with a high in magnitude and severity. This translates to about 3.5 to 4 million children (note data for verification).
- UNICEF in 2013 estimated that the 80% of the world’s stunted children live in 14 countries including the Philippines which ranked 9th.
- Let us look at the trend in stunting since 2003. What do you notice? Would you say that stunting rates are going down? There has been a slight improvement from 2015 to 2018. Though not in the chart. progress has been made in reducing stunting from 44.7 to 33.8 percent between 1987 and 2003 but since then little progress has been made. Stunting remained at a range of 30-33% in the last 15 years despite the economic growth and increased health budget.
- It makes us wonder if it is even possible to reduce stunting. Global data shows that from 2000 to 2017, stunting rates fell from 32.6 to 22.2. percent. Economic improvement does not appear to result to reductions in stunting rates. Low to middle income countries such as Mongolia, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Peru and Bolivia were able to remarkably reduce stunting levels. , we’ll see that they have made remarkable reductions in stunting which shows that positive policy and program interventions can reduce stunting even when economic growth is not as progressive.
- High levels of stunting reduction have been observed when positive policy and evidence-based program interventions were brought to scale and with high level political commitment and investment. In the case of Peru, they were able to reduce stunting from 22.9% in 2005 to 17.9% in 2010. This is attributed to the high-level political commitment, integration of nutrition into social protection strategies and an effective behavior change strategy that increased awareness of parents about the impact of undernutrition. Similarly, Bolivia, adopted a joint programming model focused on zero undernutrition - a multi-sectoral approach from the national to the municipal levels. They integrated the promotion of breastfeeding in the first six months and use of fortified complementary foods from 6-23 months in interventions in food and nutrition security to eradicate undernutrition in the First 1000 days. Their strategies were supplemented with provision of clean water, sanitation, education, health care and nutrition services.
- To be able to impact on stunting, we need to understand the problem better. Agdeppa, et. al determined the factors that drive stunting by following the 0-23 months old children who were included in the 2003 national nutrition surveys and were also included in the 2011 survey. The study showed that stunting increased more than double as the children reached 8-9 years into middle childhood. About 22.1% became stunted later while 13.1% remained stunted and only 4.1% became normal.
- The factors that drove the children into stunting later on were categorized as individual factors and household factors. Family size, birth spacing, being underweight and poor living conditions. The study however, did not find any significant factor that moved children out of stunting.
- Many studies point out that stunting is cyclical. which means that mothers who were stunted as children tend to bear stunted children and so on and so forth. Unless the cycle is broken, the Philippines will likely continue to have high stunting rates. The likelihood of breaking the cycle is during the first 1000 days or from conception until the child is 2 years old.
- What happens in the early years that drives high stunting rates in the country? Despite economic growth and improvement in health outcomes, stunting remains high. The recent analysis made by the World Bank Group identifies the factors that increase stunting rates based on data from the 2015 National Nutrition Survey. What appears to be the drivers of stunting based on the detailed analysis are affected by factors before birth and factors after birth. Stunting is likely to happen with poor maternal health and nutrition which is likely to result in low birth weight babies and small for gestational age baby. The risk is higher with adolescent pregnancy which is increasing in the country. After birth factors include poor dietary diversity of children that is driven by both feeding practices and high prices of nutrition foods. Low consumption of meat, eggs and milk is associated with high levels of stunting. Most of stunted children belong to families that are moderately or severely food insecure which would explain the poor diet diversity. Infants who do not have access to clean drinking water and during the first six months are raised by single mothers have higher risk of stunting.
- It is interesting to note that previous national plans of action for nutrition, particularly for 1993-1998 and 1999-2004 have not targeted reduction in stunting but rather targeted the reductions in protein-energy malnutrition with a focus on reducing the prevalence of underweight children. The reduction in stunting became a target in the PPAN in the succeeding planning periods to the present plan. Targets have been very ambitious as these were aligned with international commitments such as Millennium Development Goals for 2015 and the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. With the current updating of the Philippine Development Plan because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the stunting targets are being reviewed.
- The PPAN recommends focusing on the First 1000 Days with interventions to improve maternal health and nutrition; behavior change communication; improving food security through dietary supplementation of pregnant women in the third trimester and among 6-23 months old children and older children. Regular growth monitoring is also key to prevent early growth faltering.
- Important legislative measures have been passed by Congress to provide the enabling environment for nutrition. RA 11148 or the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act or the First 1000 Days law provides for the scaling-up of health, nutrition and related services. RA 11223 or the law that institutionalizes the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program includes nutrition as an objective as well.
- Aside from direct interventions and legislatio, the thrust has been on improving governance of nutrition programs. A key strategy is the mobilization of local government units to invest in nutrition. Priority provinces have also benefited from assistance in crafting local nutrition action plans with an impetus from issuances made by the DILG and DBM to require LNAPs from LGUs as part of their local development plans and annual investment plans. Aside from government, other stakeholders are being mobilized through the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement that include the United Nations, Academe, Business Sector and Civil Society. The PPAN too has adopted a focus on the First 1000 Days and this has been pushed with the passage of the First 1000 Days Act or RA 11148.
- But in order to drastically reduce stunting, we need to push harder. We can reduce stunting if sama all. Through the Nutrition Month campaign we hope to raise awareness on stunting that it is not just a health issue but an economic one as well and a major impediment to human development. We need to push for increased investments. According to UNICEF for peso spent on health and nutrition, the return is 30 times. Filipinos too need to realize that we are not short because it is our lahi. There should be no forever in stunting. A whole of government approach is needed because the problem extends beyond the health and nutrition sector but also in agriculture, gender and development, education, local governance and so on.
- We need to address the gaps based on the analysis of the drivers of stunting. Significant reduction in stunting would occur when there are improvements in the health and nutrition of pregnant women and adolescents and in food security and diversity. Pregnant adolescents and women should have access to nutrition and health services to improve birth outcomes as well as responsible parenting to manage fertility. Children must also have access to a variety of foods especially those that rich in protein such as meat, fish, poultry and eggs. This will entail improving access and availability of nutritious food. Attention should also be given to ensure that households have access to clean drinking water supply and sanitation and wastewater systems.
- The 2020 Nutrition Month celebration highlights the importance of preventing stunting through a multi-sectoral approach. Here are some key actions to prevent stunting: For mothers and family members especially to bring their child for growth monitoring. They should remember these numbers – 80 centimeters at 2 and 110 at 5. Promote, protect and support breastfeeding and provide complementary food that includes animal-source protein.
- It is important to prevent teen pregnancy and provide support to single mothers as they are more likely to have stunted children.
- Actions from the community should include actions that scale-up the first 1000 days.
- Actions from government include… The local governments to ensure that nutrition action plans of LGUs are aligned with the PPAN and budgeted. National and regional agencies to review and update sectoral programs to have an impact on nutrition. For example, the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program can impact on stunting with the inclusion of families with pregnant adolescents and women and children 0-24 months. The Family Development Sessions can also contribute with the inclusion of nutrition topics particularly on the first 1000 days. The agriculture sector to ensure access to affordable nutritious food so that families can feed their child varied diet.
- Implement the First 1000 Days law by scaling up interventions for adolescent females, pregnant and lactating women and children 0-24 months old. LGUs to ensure that they have the capacity to generate data on stunting and to monitor the height of children to prevent growth faltering.
- Actions from the academe can be through online and can be beyond July as classes are deferred in the meantime.
- Government cannot do it alone and so we count on the private sector to complement government efforts in scaling up first 1000 days interventions.
- As we are in a pandemic and a health emergency, we should continue to prioritize nutrition because good nutrition is key to build immunity and resilience; we need to ensure food and nutrition security to prevent widespread hunger and third continue services on the First 1000 days while maintaining health protocols.
- And as I close, here is our call this Nutrition Month. Be one with us to ensure the SANA TALL, kaya SAMA ALL. Here are some ways to support the Nutrition Month campaign while adhering to health protocols.
- And for more information, please check our contact details. Thank you for listening. Happy Nutrition Month and keep safe and have a good day.