MAASIN CITY (Erna S. Gorne, PIA) — Southern Leyte registered the lowest malnutrition rate among provinces in Eastern Visayas according to the top official of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) in the region.

Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator, Dr. Catalino Dotollo said during the 4th Quarter City Nutrition Council Meeting, that compared to other provinces in the region, Southern Leyte remains to get the lowest malnutrition rate despite the increasing trend in several health indicators.

Dr. Dotollo advised the local nutrition council on the recent results of the Expanded National Nutrition Survey the need to revisit the local nutrition action plan as Maasin City LGU forms part among the provincial survey respondents.

He specifically mentioned the threats on food security and calls to focus on food production in the communities and families, rising anaemia among the females of reproductive age, lack of physical activities among the adolescents, and the need to re-disseminate anti-smoking and anti-drinking among the young people and adolescents provincewide.

Dotollo enlightened the group that teenage pregnancy is one of the culprits in the anemia prevalence among the females from the infants and adolescents, wherein five percent of the 1,079 birth deliveries in 2019 were coming from teenage pregnancies.

He added, “being stunted, another irreversible effect of malnutrition, is very profound among the females in Southern Leyte.”

He further called on the health workers to strengthen the campaign against smoking and drinking which is on the rise across the province and further advised the council to design physical activities for the students as the survey results manifested that adults are more active than adolescents.