Skip to main content

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)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pilipinas Shell to build import facility in Sta. Cruz, DavSur

DAVAO CITY, April 22-   Petroleum giant Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation will be constructing its Darong Import Facility in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur. When completed it will be the third largest import facility in the country after the Shell Import Facility Tabangao in Batangas and the North Mindanao Import Facility in Cagayan de Oro. The Darong Import Facility has a rated capacity of 67-million liters of petroleum products.   The import facility will help and promote business continuity and stability in the area by providing needed fuel resources for mobility during storms, floods and other calamities. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Darong, Sta Cruz   on April 22.   The event was attended by   Engr. Jaime G. Lao, Municipal Mayor of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur; DMCI Holdings Inc. President Sid Consunji; Santa Cruz Storage Corporation President Das Consunji Reyes; and Juan Miguel Delgado, COO of Northern Star; Sta Cruz Storage Corporation and Stephen Tion...
Post a Comment
Read more

DOH XI hires more nurses, doctors

DAVAO CITY, September 6 (PIA) – The Department of Health XI bared its emergency hiring for nurses and doctors following the need to augment the personnel requirement of COVID19 hospitals from all over the region. The head of the DOH XI Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit Dr. Rachel Pasion, in today’s DOH Virtual Presser reported that in Davao City alone combining both the COVID19 hospitals and the private hospitals have utilized 674 COVID19 beds out of the 830 beds or 79.4 utilization rate. This brings the region’s critical care utilization at a high risk level. The Southern Philippine Medical Center, in the past few days, released an advisory informing the public that it has been experiencing an unusually high volume of patients needing admission for COVID19. As of September 5, the facility has utilized 85 ICU beds out of the 92 total number of beds; utilized 490 ward beds out of 496 total number of beds.   In the Province of Davao Oriental which is experiencing a surge in COVID19 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

SPDA inks MOA on agri and aqua-farming concession

The Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA) solidified their agreement with foreign counterparts through the signing of Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) held in Davao City on March 14, 2022.  Aiming for Mindanao to have modernization access to Agricultural and Aqua-Farming Concession that will be functional and benefited the local farmers and market; to yield better quality of products that eventually led to food security, sustainability and economic development that cater the needs of every Filipinos in the country in years to come. Chief Executive Officer and Administrator of SPDA Abdulghani "Gerry" A. Salapuddin said, “Today’s event is not only a welcome development but is a monumental event, with the life of SPDA of its 43 years of existence.  In the past, there was never this kind of opportunity that came into the fold of SPDA”. In collaboration with Japan, US and Iran companies who wanted to invest in the country particularly in the municipality of Wao and Amai M...
Post a Comment
Read more