ILOILO – Pandemic-induced lockdowns resulted to people losing their livelihoods, which in turn adversely affected their ability to provide food to family members.
Thus in 2020 on the first year of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, stunting and wasting increased among the province’s children from zero to 59 months old, data from the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) showed.
Stunting and wasting are forms of undernutrition or not getting enough nutrients.
Stunting is defined as low height-for-age. It is the result of chronic or recurrent undernutrition, usually associated with poverty, poor maternal health and nutrition, frequent illness and/or inappropriate feeding and care in early life.
Stunting prevents children from reaching their physical and cognitive potential, according to the World Health Organization.
On the other hand, wasting is defined as low weight-for-height. It often indicates recent and severe weight loss, although it can also persist for a long time. It usually occurs when a person has not had food of adequate quality and quantity and/or they have had frequent or prolonged illnesses.
According to Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, provincial health officer, travel restrictions also hampered the delivery of assistance from the national and local governments.
The prevalence of stunting was low in the two years before the pandemic – 7.85 percent in 2018 and 7.39 percent in 2019, IPHO data showed.
By 2020, the prevalence was up 8.73 percent.
The prevalence rates were determined through the yearly measurement (called “Operation Timbang Plus”) of the weight and height of children within the zero to 59 months old range in 42 towns and the component city of Passi.
The same trend was observed on wasting – 1.84 percent in 2018 and 1.90 percent in 2019. But this surged to 2.12 percent in 2020.
Overall undernutrition prevalence in the province had a similar trend, too – 3.27 percent in 2018 and 3.00 percent in 2019, then up to 3.47 percent in 2020.
In 2020 the resources and focus of the national and local governments focused on how to contain COVID-19, Quiñon explained.
But by 2021 when pandemic restrictions were relaxed as the government became more adept in containing COVID-19, IPHO data showed an improvement in the prevalence of stunting (7.46 percent, equivalent to 12,000 children) and wasting (1.58 percent, equivalent to 2,552 children).
Overall undernutrition also eased to 2.98 percent.
Quiñon said the provincial government aims to sustain the momentum of the downward trend in undernutrition prevalence.
Yesterday, National Nutrition Council and provincial government officials signed a “Pledge of Commitment” on this.
For starts, “nutrivac packs” or family food packs will be distributed to families with stunted or wasted children.
Each pack contains two kilos of rice, peanut butter, iodized salt, multi-vitamins and milk.
Quiñon said the IPHO will also step up its campaign ensuring the proper nutrition of pregnant women.
She also urged mother with infants to breastfeed them./PN
