Cebu City – As the COVID-19 situation in the country stabilizes so does the nutrition situation in Central Visayas as the health and nutrition systems gain a foothold back into the regular nutrition services, results of the 2022 Operation Timbang Plus shows.
Having spiked abnormally in the past two years, the nutrition situation in the region, as represented by the nutritional status of children 0-59 months, has finally stabilized, and returned to its normal course: a continued decrease in small but stable increments.
The increase in prevalence of underweight (light for age) and overweight and obesity (weight compared to height/length) which had shown a spike in 2021 had returned to a stable pre-pandemic pace.
Underweight prevalence had increased from 3.97% in 2019 to 4.9% in 2021, it has returned to 3.6% in 2022. On the other hand, overweight and obesity which had a prevalence rate of 2.78% pre-pandemic in 2019 and peaked at 3.1% in 2021 has decreased to 2.8% in 2022.
Among the types of malnutrition, stunting or chronic malnutrition which had the least impact, continues to decrease in both prevalence 9.7% in 2021to 8.5% in 2022 and magnitude from 72,179 children to 55,741 children in the same years.
Wasting or acute malnutrition, usually caused by a sudden change in health or food security has dangerously increased in magnitude from 14,382 children to 17,884 children from 2020 to 2021 has returned to 14,503 children in 2022.
While acute types of malnutrition had shown stability, the region is still in danger of a possible problem in chronic malnutrition in a few years as a delayed effect of the pandemic, a situation that could only be addressed by ensuring proper health, nutrition and food security services to mothers and their babies in the first 1000 days. It’s a challenge that both the regional and local nutrition committees must take on to sustain the region’s improved nutrition situation.
Know more about the analysis of the 2022 Operation Timbang Plus in our next articles this month. // NO III Nasudi G. Soluta, RND
