National Nutrition Council Davao Region (NNC XI) joins the annual observance of Goiter Awareness Week (GAW) 2022 with the theme: Leeg ay Tutukan, Goiter ay Lunasan. This year’s weeklong celebration will be done through series of webinars spearheaded by the Department of Health (DOH) together with specialty societies and allied health partners. Its core purpose is to escalate public awareness about ways to prevent, manage and treat thyroid disorders.
In the Philippines, according to the 2018 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS), the prevalence of individuals affected with goiter are usually higher in women compare to men, specifically those pregnant and lactating women. Goiter is an umbrella term that conveys abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland resulting in a recognizable lump in the neck. Other clinical manifestations are tightness in the throat area, difficulty in swallowing or breathing, hoarseness of voice and coughing.
The National Nutrition Council, as the highest policy making body in nutrition, undertake its role as partner in addressing this formidable disease by committing to nutrition policies and programs that targets the nutritional problem called Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) which is also the the root cause of goiter. The continued reinforcement of National Salt Iodization Program (NSIP), a six-year strategic program, enables scale up promotion and advocacy of salt iodization mainly through mobilization of Regional Bantay Asin Task Forces (RBATFs) at the regional and local levels.
Furthermore, as part of this week’s celebration, NNC XI will be disseminating valuable information in multi-media platforms to enhance public awareness on Goiter, it’s causes and prevention, along with other thyroid-related information. Through these, it will help members of the public to be more knowledgeable regarding thyroid problems and encourage them to take preventive actions, highlighting the importance of proper nutrition.
Regardless of the ongoing pandemic, the campaign to eliminate goiter along with the other nutrition problems will continue to transpire ensuring a healthy juan and juana. Way forward to goiter-free community!
/JBC
References:
Iodine Global Network. Goiter is Still Common in the Philippines. Retrieved (2022) from https://www.ign.org/goiter-is-still-common-in-the-philippines.htm
World Health Organization. (2014). Goiter as a determinant of the prevalence and severity of iodine deficiency disorders in populations.
World Health Organization. (2007). Assessment of iodine deficiency disorders and monitoring their elimination. A guide for programme managers, 3rd ed.
