When people hear the word malnutrition, what usually pops up in their minds are those who are underweight; but did you know that being malnourished is not only about being underweight? Malnutrition is a complex and multifaceted problem. Currently, the Philippines is suffering from a triple burden of malnutrition in the form of undernutrition (stunting and wasting), micronutrient deficiencies, along with overnutrition (overweight and obesity).
As part of the celebration of the Obesity Prevention Awareness Week, let us now put on the spotlight the problem of overweight and obesity and venture to the other side the triple burden of malnutrition.
The UNICEF, Department of Health (DOH), National Nutrition Council (NNC), and Nutrition Center of the Philippines (NCP) conducted a Landscape Analysis which was released last June 2021. Based on this analysis, overweight and obesity are increasing rapidly among Filipino children, and it increases as Filipino children get older. Further, in 2019 overweight has also tripled in the last 15 years among Filipino adolescents as reported in the results from the Expanded National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Department of Science and Technology - Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI).
According to WHO, it is most likely that overweight and obese children stay obese into adulthood and are more likely to develop noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a younger age. These children as well as the adolescents may suffer from both short-term and long-term health consequences. Further, based on the key findings by the Landscape Analysis, being overweight has a negative health and economic consequences. An overweight child is more likely to suffer stigmatization, low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. Childhood overweight has a huge cost in terms of future health care expenditure and lost income.
Part of the governments’ approach to combat this problem is the Overweight and Obesity Management and Prevention Program, a nutrition specific program of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022. This is a multi-sectoral program that targets no further increase in child obesity by the year 2022. One of the strategies to attain this is by fostering a healthy food environment and promoting positive nutrition behaviors towards consumption of healthier diets.
Dr. Azucena M. Dayanghirang, Assistant Secretary and Executive Director of the NNC in one of her speeches emphasized that in order to prevent obesity, we need to start early and focus on the First 1000 Days of life. In this stage we could prevent undernutrition, which could also result in obesity in later life.
The ninth message of the Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos (NGF) reminds us: “Attain normal body weight through proper diet and moderate physical activity to maintain good health and help prevent obesity.”
A multisectoral approach is deemed essential in order to combat this complex and multifaceted problem. Here in Northern Mindanao, with our One Region in Nutrition movement we are aiming to unite all the critical stakeholders to work together as one region toward nutrition improvement. (NO I Liezel Joy D. Reyes)
References:
Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. 21 August 1999. Retrieved 3 September 2021 from https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1999/08/21/proclamation-no-162-s-1999/#:~:text=NOW%2C%20THEREFORE%2C%20I%2C%20JOSEPH,Study%20of%20Overweight%20and%20Obesity
World Health Organization. n.d. Obesity. Retrieved 3 September 2021 from https://www.who.int/health-topics/obesity#tab=tab_1
UICEF Philippines.04 March 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021 from https://www.unicef.org/philippines/press-releases/poor-diets-failing-food-systems-and-lack-physical-activity-are-causing-overweight
UNICEF.Org. Prevention of Overweight and Obesity in Children: landscape analysis and Priority Actions. June 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021 from https://www.unicef.org/eap/media/8221/file/Prevention%20of%20Overweight%20and%20Obesity%20in%20Children:.pdf
