LAOAG CITY, Philippines (Philippines News Agency) -- In an effort to address malnutrition, the Provincial Nutrition Action Office is set to conduct one-on-one counselling with mothers and their children in remote villages in Ilocos Norte in time for Nutrition Month 2016.
Irma Irapta, provincial nutritionist and chairperson of the Provincial Nutrition Council said malnutrition is a continuing problem among children here and this can be addressed starting at home by educating parents.
“We have in the list for the community outreach program is the San Marcelino village in Dingras town where malnutrition rate is really high and there are also [an] Indigenous Peoples (IPs) community there that might be needing our help,” she said.
In Ilocos Norte, the prevalence rate of malnutrition here has gone up to 5.18 percent in 2015 from 5.06 percent in 2014.
However, malnutrition was recorded at a higher rate of 7.53 percent in 2013, which means that Ilocos Norte’s malnutrition case has actually been decreasing in the past two years, according to Irapta.
Christine Caroy, Nutrition Coordinator said that the increase in the malnutrition rate in the province from 2014 to 2015 is due to diseases and sickness, citing reports from barangay health workers and municipal nutrition action officers.
In the recent PNC planning workshop, Irapta urged various national agencies such as the Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, and Department of Social Welfare and Development to strengthen programs in support of the nutrition month celebration.
She further emphasized the key responsibility of the Department of Interior and Local Government in delegating to the LGUs a design plan to expand nutrition actions and ensure their integration to existing local programs.
With this, Irapta has suggested that each barangay has to conduct a celebration and come-up with local programs in their community to raise awareness on the importance of proper nutrition among residents.
To intensity the nutrition program, the PNC also eyes to distribute health kits, food packs from DSWD, seedlings from DA and other direct services to address malnutrition problems.
The National Nutrition Council focuses the nutrition celebration this year in the development years of a child from conception to the second birthday.