18 January 2021, Cagayan de Oro City - Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many activities were affected including the conduct survey and monitoring in the Local Nutrition Early Warning System (LNEWS). During the LNEWS online monitoring held in December 2020, Municipality of Talakag in Bukidnon wasn’t able to join due to unstable internet connection in their area. The municipal nutrition action officer requested for a face-to-face meeting with the core team which was held on 14 January 2021 at ABC Hall, Talakag, Bukidnon.
LNEWS-FNS is one of the activities and data sources of the Philippine Nutrition Surveillance System of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN). It also serves as a tool for the Local Nutrition Committee (LNC) to understand the seasonality of malnutrition and why there is malnutrition.
The monitoring was attended by the Talakag LNEWS Core Group, Household Data Collectors, Municipal Nutrition Action Officer (MNAO) Rosa Ma. Theresa L. Nanolan, Nutrition Staff and National Nutrition Council (NNC) X led by NPC Gladys Mae S. Fernandez.
On behalf of Mayor Vergito O. Factura, Kagawad on Health Romeo L. Tianzon, Jr. welcomed the participants, and guests, and thanked the Municipal Nutrition Office headed by MNAO Nanolan for convening the EWS meeting and monitoring. In his message, he highlighted the improvement of the nutrition situation of the municipality.
Before the presentation of data, NPC Fernandez gave a brief overview, background and the importance of the LNEWS-FNS. She also shared some updates for upcoming NNC X activities, including LNEWS related initiatives in 2021.
MNAO Nanolan presented the results of the data collected from the 2019 4th quarter to 2020 3rd quarter. She reported that the Diet Diversity Score, of the four quarters, were within the acceptable range. However, the top three food groups commonly eaten by households in five sentinel barangays are cereals, fats and oils, and spices and condiments. Further, she reported that in 2019 Q4 and 2020 Q1, only 13-14 households out the 95 households are food secure, thus, it signifies a critical level for household food security. The Diet Diversity Score describes whether the households of the five sentinel barangays are food secure.
For the nutritional status of 0-59 months old children, it was reported that underweight prevalence decreases in the past four quarters. However, in 2019 Q4 and 2020 Q2, the prevalence of stunting was at a critical level which is more than 30%. Meanwhile, the prevalence of wasting in four quarters was within the acceptable level, less than 5%, except in 2020 Q2 at 8.4%, critical level.
Based on the results presented, the Talakag LNEWS-FNS team recommended re-activating their Core Group, conduct regular meetings and reporting of the survey results. ABC President Amando Noble III shared that ordinance requiring all households to establish a backyard garden was passed and is for approval by Sangguniang Bayan (SB). SB Susan D. Gayonan, Committee Chair on Agriculture, suggested providing additional incentives as support to the BNSs of the sentinel barangays.
NPC Fernandez recommended conducting programs and activities on behavioral change and intensify nutrition education particularly the importance of eating protein foods such as meat and poultry, fish, eggs and nuts and legumes to address both the malnutrition and food insecurity in the municipality. To ensure that reliable data are collected especially in the 24-hour food recall, Nutrition Officer II Arlie Joy O. Damiles suggested to the household data collectors to reiterate the purpose of the survey to the target households.
MNAO Nanolan expressed her thanks to all the participants for attending the meeting. “With the help and support of our Mayor Factura, SB members and the different departments, together, we can improve the food security and nutrition status in our municipality,” she added. (NO II Arlie Joy O. Damiles)
