Did you know that in the Philippines there is a blueprint called the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (2017-2022) or PPAN to address malnutrition in the country that is formulated under the leadership of the National Nutrition Council? PPAN is the country’s response to reduce malnutrition and improve the nutritional wellbeing of Filipinos. It is an integral component and a companion plan of the Philippine Development Plan which provides the framework for improving the nutritional status of the Filipinos.
The PPAN goals are consistent with the global call to eradicate malnutrition made during the 1992 International Conference on Nutrition. It also falls within the framework of the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan. Likewise, it aims to reduce protein-energy malnutrition among children, chronic energy deficiency among adults, and micronutrient deficiencies among all population groups, with specific targets to be reached by the year 2040. This is because iron-deficiency anemia, vitamin A deficiency, and iodine-deficiency disorders still remain serious public health concerns.
PPAN is composed of integrated programs for the implementation of nutrition interventions. It consists of eight (8) nutrition-specific programs, an initial list of eleven (11) nutrition-sensitive programs, and three (3) enabling programs.
Nutrition-specific programs are those that are planned and designated to produce immediate nutritional outcomes. The selection of these nutrition-specific programs was inspired by global guidance like the WHO Essential Nutrition Actions, the recommendations of the Lancet Maternal and Child Nutrition Series, the International Conference for Nutrition2 Framework for Action, among others. Nutrition-specific programs are Infant and Young Child Feeding, Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition, National Dietary Supplementation Program, Nutrition in Emergencies, National Nutrition Promotion Program for Behavior Change, Mandatory Food Fortification, Micronutrient Supplementation, and Overweight and Obesity Management and Prevention Program. The nutrition-specific program addresses the immediate causes of malnutrition.
Nutrition-sensitive programs are development programs and projects that will be tweaked to produce nutritional outcomes. Tweaking can be done by targeting households with undernourished children, or nutritionally-vulnerable groups, or targeting areas with high levels of malnutrition, or being a channel for delivering nutrition-specific interventions. Nutrition-sensitive programs are Farm-to-Market Roads and Child Nutrition, Target Actions to Reduce Poverty and Generate Economic Transformation and Child Nutrition, Coconut Rehabilitation Program, Gulayan sa Paaralan, Diskwento Caravans in Depressed Areas, Family Development Sessions for Child and Family Nutrition Project, Mainstreaming Nutrition in Sustainable Livelihood, Public Works Infrastructure and Child Nutrition, Adolescent Health and Nutrition Development, Sagana sa Ligtas na Tubig sa Lahat (SALINTUBIG) and other programs on water, sanitation and hygiene, and Reproductive Health/Responsible Parenthood. The nutrition-sensitive program addresses the underlying causes of malnutrition
Enabling programs are mobilization strategies or approaches of local government units for nutrition outcomes like policy development for food and nutrition including pushing for the nutrition legislative agenda.
PPAN is a guide for all who want to be involved in nutrition actions. It lays out targets, directions, and priority actions. The ultimate goal of PPAN is to improve the nutrition situation of the country as a contribution to the achievement of AmBisyon 2040 by improving the quality of the human resource base of the country; reducing inequality in human development outcomes, and reducing child and maternal mortality. So, let us join hands and together end malnutrition by this national plan, the PPAN 2017-2022. Sa PPAN, Panalo ang Bayan!
NO I Zhalimar Ali Jakaria-Patulada, RND
Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN)
https://www.nnc.gov.ph/plans-and-programs/philippine-plan-of-action-for-nutrition-ppan
