NUTRITION IN THE PHILIPPINES: Vol. XII, No.

16, August 31, 2008 Nutrition is recognized as a basic human right, vital to the survival, growth and development of children according to the United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF). Despite this pronouncement, however, malnutrition continues to claim millions of lives, with more than 5.5million children under-five years of age dying annually. In the Philippines, gains have been achieved insofar as quality and quantity of absolute food intake and the prevalence of underweight preschool children are concerned. But such gains have not come fast enough according to the latest National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI). The Survey found the proportion of households with per capita dietary intake lower than 100 percent dietary energy requirement decreasing from 69.4 percent in 1993 to 56.9 percent in 2003, oran annual rate of reduction of 1.25 percent. On the other hand, the prevalence of underweight preschool children also declined from 30.6 percent in 2001 to 26.9 percent in2003. This further declined to 24.6 percent in 2005. However, data reveals that wide disparities exist across regions ranging from a low of 16.2 percent for the National Capital Region (NCR) and a high of 38 percent for t h e A u t o n o m o u s R e g i o n i n M u s l i m Mindanao (ARMM). The Malnutrition Factor According to FNRI, malnutrition is caused by various factors that include among others, poverty; hunger, the most crucial manifestation of poverty; and food insecurity, a major determinant of a country s nutritional status. In terms of families, poverty incidence increased to 26.9 percent in 2006 compared to 24.4 percent in 2003 according to the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB). However, the 2006 figure is lower than the 27.5 percent poverty incidence in 2000. In terms of population, out of 100 Filipinos, 33 were poor in 2006, compared to 30 in2003. Meanwhile, the extent of poverty can also be described in terms of hunger situation in the country. A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed that as of the second quarter of 2008, about 2.9 million families have experienced hunger. From this figure, about 760,000 families experienced severe hunger. The spike in global oil and food prices are among the reasons why many Filipinos are hungry says SWS. Source: National Nutrition Survey Prevalence of Underweight 0-to 5-Year Old Children As a government s response to the anticipated food shortage due to spike in global food prices, it has assured Filipinos of stable food particularly rice supplies from both foreign and local sources. The Department of Education, on the other hand, is

expanding its feeding program in schools. Moreover, through the Medium-Term Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (MTPPAN), the government hopes to improve the Filipino s quality of life through better nutrition, improved health and productivity. The government has also committed to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that include, among others, the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. This means that government s goal is to reduce by half or equivalent to 34.7 percent, the proportion of the population below the minimum level of dietary energy consumption; and by 17.25percent, the prevalence of underweight 0-5 year old children by 2015. Fighting Malnutrition Through the MTPPAN, various health and nutrition programs continue to be implemented to address malnutrition in the country. These include among others, the Garantisadong Pambata, the Salt Iodization Nationwide Act, Food Fortification, Nutrition Education, National Supplemental Feeding, and Food-for-School. Latest data revealed that under the Supplemental Feeding program, about 255,526 children were served hot meals and milk while 2.6 million school children benefited from the Food for School program. Other activities being undertaken to hasten the decline in levels of child malnutrition include: (a) infant and young child feeding (IYCF) which promotes breastfeeding in the community, hospitals as well as the workplace; (b) the revision of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR)of the Milk Code; and (c) Mother-Baby Friendly Hospital initiative, among others. To fight hunger as well as address food security, the Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program (AHMP) was launched to address issues related to food production and distribution, access to available food supply as well as nutrition-oriented food demand, and population growth management. This program shall be aggressively pursued by intervening in both the supply side and the production of food to eat; and the demand side, or the means by which people obtain sufficient food. Top priority will be given to the ten worst food-poor provinces or provinces with the highest subsistence incidence. Second priority will be given to the 20 poorest provinces (excluding the ten food-poor areas) while third priority to the other 24provinces (food insecure but with existing hunger mitigation initiatives of various government agencies). On the supply side, measures include increasing food production and productivity as well as enhancing efficiency of logistics and food delivery. The expansion in production capacity shall be pursued by: (a) increasing productivity in livestock s, crops as well as marine regeneration (mangrove and coastal fishery development); (b) food production through the Gulayanng Masa or backyard gardening and other related initiatives to provide alternative food sources; and (c) improving irrigation. Efficiency in logistics and food delivery shall be pursued by: (a) Expanding Barangay Food Terminal and Tindahan Natin as sources of low cost basic commodities; (b) Ensuring efficient use of ports or the roll-on-roll-off (RORO) as well as the maximum use of private ports and shipping; (c) Improving farm to market roads (FMRs);

(d) Ensuring efficient local transport; (e) Implementation of Food for School Program including day care centers as channels of distribution; and ( f) Creating nongovernment organization (NGO) network to support feeding programs, among others. On the demand side, government will help put more money in poor people s pockets, promote good nutrition as well as manage population. This will be done by pursuing micro-financing aggressively; creating more employment opportunities through government infrastructure projects as well as skills training for better employment opportunities; conducting nutrition education in schools; promoting breastfeeding, appropriate complementary feeding as well as increased consumption of vegetables; and managing population through responsible parenthood. Strategies and Goals Malnutrition is a continuing challenge in the Philippine. This requires an effective and continuing education on nutrition aside from supplying supplementary food aid for poor mothers, according to FNRI. The MTPPAN strategies include: (a) Prioritizing nutrition and related services for infants and young children as well as pregnant women, especially those living in depressed areas; (b) intensifying delivery of nutrition interventions that include micronutrient supplementation such as vitamin A and zinc, food fortification, breastfeeding promotion, food assistance as well as food production in homes, schools, and community; (c) improving service delivery to address nutrition deficiency; (d) Stronger nutrition perspective in disaster management; (e) Effective coordination among those directly involved in nutrition interventions, among others. Simultaneously, Responsible Parenthood and Natural Family Planning Program (RP-NFP) shall vigorously be pursued, based on the following policies: (a) Responsible parenthood; (b) Birth spacing; (c) Respect for life; and (d) Informed choice. In this connection, Responsible Parenting Movement (RPM) was launched, to create couple s awareness regarding their basic responsibilities as parents and towards attaining a better future for their children.

The Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP), for its part seeks to assure access to quality and affordable health goods and services. It will thus seek to: (a) Enforce compliance with national health legislation and standards such as the Generics, Salt Iodization and Food Fortification laws; and (b) Legislation of health-related laws at the local level. For better health service, the program includes: (a)child health nutrition, in the context of integrated early childhood care and development; (b) maternal and women s health and nutrition; and (c) healthy lifestyle and management of health risks will be aggressively implemented. To create awareness on proper nutrition, the Department of Health (DOH), has embarked on an information and advocacy program including the development, printing and dissemination of nutritionrelated communication materials. With the help of the LGUs, it has also been promoting responsible parenthood to encourage family planning and avoid frequent pregnancy and child birth. Sources: Medium-Term Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (MTPPAN), Updated Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP), data f r om t h e Fo o d a n d Nu t r i t i o n Re s e a r c h I n s t i t u t e (FNRI ) , Un i t e d Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF) , National Statistical Coordination Bo a r d (NSCB) a n d t h e Fami l y I n c ome a n d Ex p e n d i t u r e Su r

Nutrition Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. The Nutrition Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. (NFP) is a Philippine private, non-stock, non-profit organization engaged in improving the nutritional status of the Filipino community. The NFP was founded by National Scientist, Dr. Juan Salcedo, Jr. In 1950, Dr. Juan Salcedo Jr. was appointed the first Director of the newly created Institute of Nutrition, as the clearing house of information relevant to human Nutrition. Later, the Institute was developed into a Research Center, the Food and Nutrition Research Center. Thus, arose the need for an agency that would translate the findings of the Center into practical terms for the improvement of the nutrition of the people. The slogan at the time was Nutrition is everybodys concern. It was felt that a private organization that would support the government efforts would give meaning to the slogan, thus the birth of the Nutrition Foundation of the Philippines in December 28, 1959, registered at the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 18, 1960, and formally started its operation on July 15, 1960. The Foundation was conceived to promote nutrition in the Philippines, as an important factor in improving the health of the people and ultimately of the welfare and economic life of the community. During the early years, NFPs thrust was the provision of direct technical field service to individuals and groups, particularly in low income communities where malnutrition was prevalent; organization of nutrition councils (the forerunner of todays nutrition committees) which serves as the organizational structure for the delivery of coordinated nutrition services in the communities; and the provision of grants-in-aid to institution and individuals for study and research purposes. Through the years, direct field services occupied a significant part of NFPs regular activities. In the 80s, the NFP shifted its efforts from directly carrying out specific field projects to conduct of training program, development of IEC materials geared to the grassroots, the maintenance of its library facilities and provision of consultation services to organized groups in nutrition.

Quality life for the Filipinos through nutrition is the vision of the Nutrition Foundation of the Philippines; and its mission is to develop programs and services that will improve the nutritional status of the Filipinos particularly through nutrition education. Objectives

1. To promote awareness and practice of nutrition principles through a campaign directed at the public in general and the vulnerable groups in particular 2. To increase manpower resources for community nutrition work through depth training programs 3. To develop a pool of resource persons through staff development programs 4. To develop/improve techniques and approaches to nutrition education through applied research 5. To assist/cooperate with government and private agencies involved in nutrition work. Nutritional and health programs The NFP is known for various nutrition programs. Their Nutrition and Health Kiddie Class program which aims to educate children, aged four to six, about the importance of food and nutrition. They have also implemented the Urban Family Development Program in 1991 to improve the nutritional status of depressed urban families through livelihood assistance and health and nutrition classes and services. The Nutrition and Health Kiddie Class is conceptualized for pre-school children to acquire knowledge on food and nutrition that will enable them to: Learn the importance of food in relation to health; know the various nutrients needed by the body and its sources; practice personal hygiene; be an advocate of environmental sanitation; help improve their nutritional and health status. A unique feature of the NHKC is the participation of the volunteer teachers who handle all the classes without any compensation. Usually, they are mothers or youth from the community/ barangay who are trained to teach the preschool aged 46 years. They are called MOTHER COORDINATORS (MCs) or NUTRITION YOUTH COORDINATORS (NYCs), respectively. The NHKC follows the school calendar, from June of the current year till March of succeeding year. Classes are held daily or 2-3 times a week, depending on the community. A session lasts for 2 hours. The NHKC has a specific curriculum and modules developed though the years by the teachers and NFP staff. Topics included in the module are: food and nutrition, personal hygiene, environmental sanitation, growth monitoring, food production, micronutrient etc. Likewise, the basic 3Rs of reading, writing, and arithmetic are discussed in the context of nutrition. Strategies used includes lecture-discussion, story telling, songs, games, film showing, field trips, and work exercises are employed to make the learning interesting and easy-to-understand. The NHKC has a supplementary feeding component. Primarily, the feeding aims to show the child and their mothers on how to feed them properly and to

internalize the topics/subjects taught in the NHKC. Foods served are nutritious, easy -to -prepare and economical, which can also be prepared and served at home for the rest of the family members. The marketing, preparation, and cooking are done by the mothers of the children for the supplementary feeding sessions. This is one of the major activities of the Foundation that focus on the development of the family members to be responsible for the betterment of their health and ultimately improving the quality of their lives through: conscious recognition of each and everyones responsibility to themselves, family and community; providing opportunities and support to augment regular income through learning of some income generating activities, improved health and nutrition condition of their families through the implementation of some direct nutrition intervention activities; and developing skills in the implementation and management of community nutrition project and related activities. Some of its components include the following: Value Formation NFP promotes activities that help individuals realize his value and potentials towards the development of the communities where he lived. It is the main goal of this program to make people realize a very important role he is to play for the success of their plans for the benefit of the community. Community Organization NFP helps organize the communities and facilitates group dynamics, teambuilding activities and programs designed to promote camaraderie, teamwork, and cooperation among the people. Yearly program planning and evaluation focusing on problems encountered in the program implementation is also regularly conducted. Leadership Trainings NFP facilitates trainings for informal leaders of the community, barangay health workers, barangay nutrition scholars, out of school youths, mothers and other interested groups who needs specific related trainings. Nutrition Education Series of nutrition classes are given to various groups in the communities to provide them knowledge on health and nutrition. Topics discussed include: the basic food groups, meal planning and food preparation, food safety, utilization of edible wastes, nutrition in the life cycle, environmental sanitation, food fortification, livelihood opportunities, and nutrition in disease. Various methodologies such as role-playing, workshops, games, and cooking demonstrations are utilized to make the class interactive and participative. Medical, Dental, and Nutrition Services In cooperation with the local health centers or district health units- medical, dental, and nutrition services are conducted. A team of doctors, dentists, nutritionists, and barangay health worker goes around the puroks of the barangay, on a regular schedule, to render services such as deworming, regular weighing, and dietary counseling.

Currently, the FDP is being undertaken in communities of Quezon City namely Brgy. Santol, Brgy. Doa Imelda, Sitios Kaingin I, Kaingin II, and Proper of Brgy. Pansol and Sitios Chamberette, Mary Town, Park 7, and DaanTubo of Brgy. Loyola Heights; Tondo, Manila, and in the whole Municipality of Alaminos, Laguna. Dr. Juan Salcedo, Jr. Memorial Lecture This activity is regularly conducted by the Foundation as a way of honoring Dr. Juan Salcedo, Jr., its founder. He was a National Scientist and Academician, former Secretary of the Department of Health and Chairman of the National Science Development Board and dubbed as the Father of Philippine Nutrition. This is also a way to give recognition to experts in the field of nutrition and public health to share current trends in nutrition. The participants of this activity are, composed mostly of nutritionist-dieticians, health workers and heads of various nutrition and health organizations, both from the government and private sectors. In the past years, the Foundation invited speakers who discussed topics on: Collaboration and Institutional Development, The Politics of International Nutrition; Nutritional Repercussions of Developmental Transition; Perspectives and Challenges in Nutrition in the Philippines; Cancer and You; Management of Nutrition Programs by Local Executives; Infant and Young Child Nutrition; Coconut Oil and Cardio-Vascular Diseases, and Strategies in the Prevention and Management of Hidden Hungers. Undergraduate Training in Public Health and Community Nutrition This type of training exposes the senior nutrition students of the different colleges / universities in Metro Manila to the communities, where they could acquire skills and knowledge program planning and implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Basically, they are also provided inputs on community organizing, mobilizing and participation particularly relating to health and nutrition activities that will benefit the families in particular and the communities in general. It is offered every first quarter of the year covering a total of 240 hours, as required by the nutrition curriculum approved by the Commission on Higher Education. Residency Training in Public Health and Community Nutrition It aims to develop a pool of trained manpower in community nutrition. This training is offered to nutrition graduates who are interested to pursue public health and community nutrition work. The training covers a period of 4 months and is being offered on the third quarter of each year to qualified nutritionist-dietitians. Each trainee will be given specific assignments or projects to undertake, under the supervision of an NFP nutritionist. The trainees receive a modest daily stipend for the duration of their training. Nutrition Networking Another way of ensuring effectiveness in the use of scarce resources is by networking and coordinating with the different agencies that aim and work with a common objective. This program is done mainly through cooperative

services with GOs and NGOs in the country as well as international agencies/organizations; membership in working committees/advocacy groups; provision of resource persons/speakers; and consultation services. For a number of years, NFP has been the Philippines Adhering body of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS). Likewise, it has maintained linkages with other international agencies such as the Federation of Asian Nutrition Societies (FANS), UNICEF, International Food Policy Research Institute, Helen Keller International and the World Health Organization. Publications As a part of the Foundations nutrition information and education campaign, some publications are made to promote nutritional awareness to the people. The Bulletin of the Nutrition Foundation of the Philippines is the official publication/newsletter of the Foundation It is being published quarterly and features articles on current nutrition issues and serves as a vehicle in the mass dissemination of nutrition information, particularly to the professionals. Teka, Teka, Teka Lutuing Naiiba is a recipe book containing 51 standardized recipes that utilizes edible food wastes such as banana, squash, and carrot peelings; soy precipitates, coconut meal, langka seeds, and many others. Kitchen Tested Recipes for Preschoolers, a recipe book intended for the implementation of self-help supplementary feeding programs in the community for preschoolers. The actual nutrition contribution of each recipe is shown in bar graphs for better understanding. Recipes for Daily Living, is a recipe book developed in response to the clamor for economical and easy-to-prepare but nutritious foods. It targets the housewives who are on the lookout for preparing and serving meals that are palatable, nutritious, convenient, and economical. Another publication is the Low Fat and Low Cholesterol Cookbook. The cookbook is a compilation of tested modified recipes, indicating specific calories, protein, fat, andcholesterol content of each recipe. This is to help the public find immediate action in preventive and curative aspects particularly for those suffering withcardiovascular diseases, diabetes and other degenerative diseases. Likewise, people who are overweight and obese can benefit from this recipe book