CEBU CITY - Two local government units in Central Visayas bagged the 2022 Healthy Pilipinas Awards under the Priority Area 1 known as the Nutrition and Physical Activity category during the Healthy Pilipinas for Healthy Communities awarding ceremony held March 4, 2022 via Zoom conference call.
Canlaon City in Negros Oriental won for their “Multi-Sectoral Approach in the Reduction of Malnutrition” strategy where different government offices together with the non-government organizations and its 12 barangays worked together to conduct quality nutrition programs to reduce the prevalence rate of undernutrition.
These programs include establishment and maintenance of the Rehabilitation Center for Malnourished Children (mal-ward); increased budget in the city nutrition action plan; capacity building of health and nutrition workers; integrated community food production; cooking demonstration to mothers with undernourished child(ren); and 5K sa Unang 1K program.
Canlaon City also came up with an income-generating project dubbed “SIKAD, SAYAW, ug TIKANG: “Kabataan sa Canlaon atong Amumahon, MALNUTRISYON atong Sugpuon!” which will be implemented this year and onwards.
These programs rendered positive results like increase in the number of exclusively breastfed infants, decrease in low birthweight prevalence, increase in facility-based delivery based on their FHSIS (Field Health Services Information System) from 2014 to 2019, and decrease in their underweight prevalence from 11.34% in 2009 to 2.8% in 2019.
The Municipality of Borbon, Cebu, on the other hand, grabbed the same award for their “Healthy Nanay and Bulilit Program," a comprehensive approach towards malnutrition in children and women.
The program aims to address the problem of malnutrition through the creation of local policies and resolutions institutionalizing and cascading national programs on nutrition, budget allocation, antenatal care services incorporating nutrition in pregnancy, municipal and barangay First 1000 Days campaign, establishment of community pantry for identified nutritionally-at-risk mothers and malnourished children, and capacity-building of healthcare workers and women.
Since the program started in 2018, there is a noticeable improvement in stunting among 6-23 months old children from 2.7% to 1.84%.
The program also helped lessen the low birth weight in the municipality from 11 in 2018 to 3 in 2021.
Positive impact was also noted in achieving zero maternal and infant mortality.
These programs were the result of the combined efforts of the local nutrition committees in the two LGUs and the support of their constituents. (PR/NVS)
