The National Nutrition Council approved the use of non-wood height and measuring tool in addition to the recommended wooden height board for assessing growth of children in the Philippines. This is under the NNC Governing Board resolution No. 3, series of 2018 entitled “Approving the Guidelines on the Selection of Non-wood height and length measuring tool.

The Local Government Unit of Cotabato City conducted 1st Barangay Nutrition Scholars’s monthly meeting for 2021 last January 7, 2021 at the City Health Office. The meeting served as an avenue to discuss the 2021 Operation Timbang (OPT) Plus activity. CNAO Bailinang Abas discussed the interim guidelines in preparation for the conduct of OPT Plus along with the activities on Nutrition Screening, Growth Monitoring and Promotion (GMP) in the context of the on-going pandemic and other related disasters issued by the NNC.

To gather an accurate and reliable data and give convenience to the Barangay Nutrition and Health Workers during monitoring of nutritional status of the preschoolers, the City Nutrition Office (CNO) provided Allen Sticks to 10 large barangays of Cotabato City namely: Bagua Mother Barangay, Bagua 2, Poblacion Mother Barangay, Poblacion 7, Rosary Heights Mother Barangay, Tamontaka Mother Barangay, Kalanganan Mother Barangay, Rosary Heights 10, Tamontaka 1 and Kalanganan 2. In addition, according to CNAO Abas additional Allen sticks were already allocated on their 2022 Annual Operational Plan (AOP) to cover all 40 barangays. 

NNC encourages all Local Government Units to allocate enough fund to procure standard height and length measuring tool to give them the accurate picture of their local nutrition situation especially in this time of pandemic and further come up with an appropriate nutrition-related intervention along PPAN 2017-2022. (NOII Utlang/ NO III Flores)