ILOILO CITY: The prevalence of stunting, wasting, overweight and obesity among preschool children 0 to 59 months in Iloilo City has been on a declining trend since 2021, the 2024 Operation Timbang Plus (OPT) results showed.
The OPT covers 80 percent of the targeted 45,081 population, equivalent to 36,084 preschoolers.
‘Only one-eighth of the total preschool children population of 460,427 falls under malnutrition indicators,” Nutritionist/Dietician II Clarisse Nieves said in a press conference on Thursday.
Stunting or low height for age dropped to 2 percent in 2024 from last year’s 2.6 percent, 2.8 percent in 2022 and 3 percent in 2021.
Overweight and obesity also reduced to 1.4 percent from 2.9 percent in 2021. In 2022, the rate was at 2.3 percent and 1.8 percent in 2023.
For wasting or low weight for age, the city has recorded 0.6 percent from 1.3 percent in 2021. It was 1 percent in 2022 and 0.9 percent in 2023.
The reduced malnutrition prevalence meant that for this year, of the city’s over 460,000 p
opulation, only 533 children are underweight; 227, wasted; 717, stunted; and 504, obese.
To address malnutrition, the City Health Office introduced comprehensive initiatives, including micronutrient supplementation, supplementary feeding programs, nutrition in emergencies and enabling interventions.
Nieves emphasized the importance of various nutrition programs, highlighting efficiency in their continued implementation. She stated that they are well-prepared for all phases of intervention, including preparation, response and recovery.
‘We conducted nutrition in emergency training last year, and now we implement it in case of emergency and disasters,’ she said.
Nieves also stressed the significance of enabling interventions, noting that the support of city officials and donors has been instrumental in maximizing their services.
She added that they look forward to the local production of nutribuns for at-risk pregnant women and a rice-mongo blend for children.
Starting this year, they have adopted the Phi
lippine Plan of Action for Nutrition as a blueprint of their inclusive approach, targeting individuals in all life stages not only vulnerable groups.
Source: Philippines News Agency
