Nutrition campaign highlights actions in the first 1000 days of life

DAVAO CITY, July 2 (PIA) – The National Nutrition Council in Davao Region launched the nutrition month celebration highlighting the fight against malnutrition and the focus on the first 1,000 days of life.

Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Dr. Maria Teresa Ungson bared in the One Davao Virtual Presser that the COVID19 pandemic has brought impact to the nutrition of individuals.

Families had limited access to food, food items in the form of “ayuda” were insufficient to meet nutritional needs, maternal health services were affected, and physical inactivity and unhealthy behaviors increase.

Although at the start of the pandemic, she said that local government units had efforts in providing nutritious food items as part of the “ayuda”. Fruits and vegetables were included in the food packs.

However, as the pandemic extended for months since its onset last March of 2020, Ungson expressed concern especially to pregnant women and the health of children especially on its first 1,000 days of life.

The first 1,000 days starts from conception up to the first two years of a child and considered a golden window of opportunity where health, nutrition, and development foundations are established.

Ungson explained that when a child gets the right nutrition on their food intake, the child will have optimum growth and development, higher IQ, lower risk of diseases, increased productivity, and reduced child deaths.

“The data showed that stunting or pagiging pandak remains a problem. We blame it to our ancestors or parents but studies showed that stunting is actually a long-term effect of malnutrition. So what better way to address this is make sure that we give our child the needed nutrients on the food he takes,” Ungson said.

Breastfeeding practice, which is also advised by experts as a way to ensure a healthy baby, is believed to be affected during the time of the pandemic.

A survey showed that 19 percent of children 0 to 23 months had stopped breastfeeding during COVID19 pandemic. Of this percentage,  61.8 percent did not breastfeed; 15.5 percent returned to work; 9.1 percent has a child who did not want to be breastfed; while 2.7 percent was not able to go home.

Pregnant women are also reminded to take care of themselves as they are carrying another life. During pregnancy, the pregnant woman must have at least four pre-natal visits in three trimesters; take 180 tablets of Iron-folic acid supplementation; and balanced protein-energy dietary supplementation.

The country celebrates the month of July as National Nutrition Month with the theme “ Malnutrisyon Patuloy na Labanan, First 1,000 Days Tutukan”.

" With this pandemic, we hope that our local government units will continue to put in funds for their nutrition program. We need to invest on nutrition and keep our people healthy. We also ask our private sector to improve their products nutrition-wise and ensure that these are safe and nutritious. Have nutrition labeling so that people would be more mindful on eating nutritious food,” Dr. Ungson said. (PIA/Frances Mae Macapagat)