Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental – The Santa Catalina Municipal Nutrition Committee (MNC) with the Municipal Health Office as its secretariat declared to reduce stunting and other forms of malnutrition in their town. For the nth time, the municipality of Santa Catalina has been frequently in the top 10 municipalities with the highest prevalence rate of stunted 0-59 months old children in the province of Negros Oriental.
It is for this reason that the MNC under the orchestration of MNAO/MHO Dr. Iagn Neil D. Velarde, PHN Loryjean D. Necio the newly designated MNPC with technical assistance from NDDP Jhianne Mae Nicole C. Tugaoen of DOC CV CHD/NNC 7 ensured the integration of critical nutrition and related interventions in their 2022 Municipal Nutrition Action Plan to reduce stunting in their municipality.
Stunting according to the World Health Organization is the impaired growth and development that children experience from poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation. Children are defined as stunted if their height-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the WHO Child Growth Standards median. Stunting in early life, particularly in the first 1000 days from conception until the age of two, impaired growth has adverse functional consequences on the child. Some of those consequences include poor cognition and educational performance, low adult wages, lost productivity, and when accompanied by excessive weight gain later in childhood, an increased risk of nutrition-related chronic diseases in adult life.
The MNC is currently implementing the First 1,000 Days program including the provision and distribution of Cholera Growth Factor (CGF) with zinc among identified 6-59 months old stunted children to help boost their appetite and immunity. They will also conduct a Parent Congress for underprivileged parents which focuses on nutritionally-at-risk pregnant women together with their husbands/partners, a half-day health and nutrition education with livelihood orientation from the Municipal Agriculture Office where maternal milk for buntis, and garden kits will also be given to them. Another activity is the provision of nutri-buns for nutritionally-at-risk pregnant women & 6-23 months old children to aid their daily calorie intake and prevent stunting. The municipality is also super blessed because it is one of the beneficiaries of the TKSP Phase 4 this year.
With these efforts, the MNC hopes to delist Sta Catalina from the top 10 rosters of municipalities with high stunting rate in Negros oriental again. And these would be possible with the concerted efforts of all MNC members and the strong support from the MNC Chair Hon. Peve O. Ligan. // Jhianne Mae Nicole C. Tugaoen, RND, Nutritionist-Dietitian II
