The Negros Oriental Provincial Nutrition Committee (PNC) reported a downtrend in malnutrition rate in the province from 10.6 percent in 2021 to 10.3 percent in 2022.

However, the committee has identified the top ten nutritionally depressed barangays in the municipalities with high stunting rates or short for age due to chronic undernutrition usually associated with poverty.

The barangays or local government units (LGUs) with high stunting rate include Dayoyo, Jimalalud (82.35 percent); Cabang, Jimalalud (46.88 percent); Pindahan, Tayasan (44.55 percent); Mandapatun, La Libertad (40.27 percent); Canggohob, Mabinay (37.32 percent); Talaon, LaLibertad (37.31 percent); Magsuhot, Bacong (37.04 percent); Naiba, San Jose (36.26 percent); Saying, Tayasan (35.09 percent); and Aglahog, Jimalalud (34.48 percent).

With this, in a Kapihan sa PIA forum, Provincial Nutritionist Antonieta Delfino of PNC and the Provincial Health Office stressed the important role of local officials in providing nutrition as part of their priority health programs to prevent any malnutrition problem in the province.

With the current administration’s goal to alleviate poverty, it has focused three priorities on agriculture, health and tourism to help achieve food security, a healthy and economically stable community, said Woodrow Maquiling, provincial board member and chair of the agriculture and tourism committee.

It is noted that some people develop malnutrition because there is not enough food available.

With this, Maquiling has planned to set up a demonstration farm with the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) to showcase new technology in producing a variety of crops and vegetables faster.

This is to encourage households in the hinterland barangays to plant or establish their own home garden and do away with the traditional way of planting that will help support making healthy foods inexpensive and accessible.

Meantime, the PAO has restored the organic environment for livelihood and resource development in communities with malnourished children, particularly for the top 10 depressed barangays.

The PAO will provide capability trainings to mothers on how to cook nutritious food, encourage the parents to grow their own vegetables at the day care centers with free veggies seeds.

Delfino also cited the importance of the first 1,000-day interventions in the life of a child, even before birth, in bringing up healthy and well nourished children to prevent stunting.

This is to focus on the preventative side of nutrition so that illness-related consequences can be reduced even before a child is born, Delfino said.

For her part, Provincial Board Member Jessica “Ikay” Villanueva, chair of the women and children’s welfare committee, pledged to help dairy cooperatives to acquire a sterilizer to ensure the milk’s freshness or extend its shelf-life before it is being supplied to schools or day care centers.

School milk feeding helps improve the nutritional status and reduce micronutrient deficiencies of learners.

She asked the coop to submit a proposal for the acquisition of a sterilizer to Sangguniang Panlalawigan so that she can endorse it to the committee on agriculture. (PIA-7 Negros Oriental)