Malnutrition issues hound in Camarines Sur

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Malnutrition issues hound Camarines Sur
The province has the most number of preschool children who are malnourished

By Rhaydz B. Barcia Correspondent

LEGAZPI CITY: While the economy and tourism trade is booming in Camarines Sur, the province has the most number of pre-school children who are malnourished in the Bicol region.

Based on the consolidated nutritional status of pre-school children, “Operation Timbang” results submitted by the provincial and city health offices of the six provinces and seven cities to the National Nutrition Council (NNC) regional office, Camarines Sur ranked first with grave malnutrition problems.

Next to Camarines Sur, the other provinces with the highest malnourished pre-school children are Catanduanes, Albay, Camarines Norte, Masbate and Sorsogon.

The province of Camarines Sur has been a consistent topnotcher with grave malnutrition problems for almost a decade now based on NNC data. Among Bicol’s cities, the topnotchers are Legazpi followed by Iriga and Naga.

The Philippine government is one of the signatories among the 189 United Nations member countries rich and poor that reaffirmed their commitment to the millennium development goals that target the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger.

Despite this commitment the local government units in Bicol failed to fully address the malnutrition problems in the region. As indicated by the nutritional status of pre-school children in Camarines Sur last year, there were 45,505 or 20.87 percent categorized as moderately malnourished; 9,357 or 4.29 percent, as severely malnourished, while 6,596 or 3.02 percent were overweight out of 217,993 total pre-school children weighed.

Records showed that there are 256,828 estimated pre-school children population in Camarines Sur but only 217,993 children weighed; 54,862 or 25.16 percent of these children were found malnourished and 156,535 had normal weight.

Data revealed that there are 136,370 pre-school children who were malnourished or 17.12 percent; 24,762 or 3.11 percent were severely malnourished and 19,534 or 2.45 percent were overweight across the region.

But the most depressing data given by the NNC during the media forum sponsored by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST) held at the DOST regional office here was that the prevalence of malnutrition in Bicol region is increasing among elementary school children this year based on the report of the Department of Education regional office.

In 2006 to 2007 consolidated weight and height status of elementary school children in Bicol submitted by DepEd Bicol to NNC revealed that there were 233,682 or 30.26 percent below normal and 13,785 above normal while 524,832 had normal weight and body mass index (BMI).

The BMI report of the DepEd regional office did not include pre-elementary grades. At least 141,637 or 28.2 percent of children from Grade 1 to 1V were found stunted and 353,887 with normal height.

Tomas B. Briñas, OIC director of the Department of Science and Technology in Bicol told reporters during the media forum that while Bicol is the poorest region in Luzon, it ranked fourth poorest in the country.

He also noted that one of the primary reasons for the high prevalence of malnutrition among children in the region is the incidence of natural calamities. The frequent typhoons and the armed conflicts brought about by insurgency cause poverty that leads to malnutrition.

“There are high prevalence of malnourished school children here although participation rate in education is high in elementary but low in secondary,” Briñas lamented.

He said Bicol has the highest incidence of poverty, with the second most number of poor families as well as second with lowest per capita.

Briñas explained that most people were employed in agriculture because the major products are copra, natural fibers, coconut, and marine products although the region is rich in mineral resources with very few micro and small to medium enterprises.

Malnutrition is a public health issue, unfortunately the nutrition program does not seem to be a high-priority concern among the local chief executives.