Cebu City – 2015 saw a significant decrease in the underweight-for-age prevalence of Central Visayas (still including Negros Oriental) from 5.54% in 2014 to 4.91% during the latest Operation Timbang Plus results.

This 12.9% change in malnutrition rate is attributed to the tireless work of local health and nutrition workers as well as better monitoring tools provided by many local nutrition committees with relevant decreases in the malnutrition rate of the City of Bais (from 11.46% in 2014 to 9.41% in 2015), Bogo City (from 4.54% to 2.39%) and the City of Naga (from 6.81% to 3.79%).

Operation Timbang Plus is a mass weight and height taking activity conducted by local health and nutrition workers on children 0-71 months old during the first quarter of the year throughout the country and despite the regions better performance this year, there are still some government units needing extra attention.

Samboan, a municipality in the Southern tip of Cebu leads in the 2015 Central Visayas malnutrition ranking with a prevalence rate of 20.05% or 2 in every 10 children who are underweight for their age. Samboan also happens to be the only municipality who have ranked top 10 in all of the malnutrition indices (#5 in stunting and #8 in wasting). 

Following Samboan is the municipality of Alcantara, Cebu at 14.4% and rounding up the top three is the municipality of Vallehermoso in Negros Oriental at 14%.  Among the cities, Guihulngan City of Negros Oriental leads in underweight-for-age prevalence despite its decrease from last year’s 11.43% to this year’s 10.29%. It is followed by last year’s lead Bais City whose malnutrition rate also decreased from 11.46% to 9.41%. 

Aspiring to consistently decrease its malnutrition rate, Central Visayas and the province of Cebu looks unto the highest malnutrition rankers. This too challenges the Regional Nutrition Committee and its Technical Working Group to beef up its “LGU Nurturing Project” to assist these local government units.

Good luck everyone!//NGS