PIA: HIGH MALNUTRITION AMONG
CHILDREN NEEDS 'SONA' ATTENTION

Senator Pia S. Cayetano today stressed the need for government to take concrete steps to boost the campaign against malnutrition in light of recent reports indicating high malnutrition among school age children.

"In the flurry of preparations for the President's next State of the Nation Address (SONA), I hope vital indicators that truly matter, like the state of nutrition of our children, will not be left out," said Cayetano, who chaired the Senate Committee on Health and Demography in the 13th Congress.

She added that the President's previous SONA speeches tended to highlight macroeconomic figures and major infrastructure plans over the status of basic public services.

"The next SONA should not be limited to the health of the economy, but should include the current state of the people's health. At the very least, the President's speech should outline concrete steps to arrest high malnutrition among our children in keeping with our commitments under the Millennium Development Goals."

She noted that the 6th National Nutritional Survey of the Food and Nutrition Institute (FNRI) showed that while six out ten school-age children were found to have normal nutritional status, at least three were found to have poor nutritional status.

"This means these children are either small for their age or are anemic. This condition is seen to stunt their development and make them easily vulnerable to all kinds of diseases," she said.

The same survey indicated slow progress in addressing under-nutrition among school age children, with only about a 0.6-percentage reduction per year for underweight and stunting from 1990 to 2003, and even slower for anemia at less than 0.5-percent reduction per year during the same period.

"Incidentally, July is observed as National Nutrition Month, and so it would be an appropriate time for the President to present to Congress what her administration has done for the health sector and lay down her plans in the final three years of her term," she added.

Cayetano said there is a need to update information on the nutritional status of Filipino children in light of the growing popularity of high-calorie, low-nutrient food and sugar-sweetened drinks that are usually sold in stalls near or inside school premises and fast food chains.

"The government should review what our children are eating at home and in school, as proper nutrition is key to preventive health care against malnutrition and obesity."

"There should also be an aggressive campaign to promote healthy food like fruits and vegetables in both public and private schools. Awareness on the importance of a healthy lifestyle should start with our children."

Cayetano said she supports the initiative of the Department of Health to undertake a study on the health risks of fatty and sugary foods, which have become the subject of government regulation in many industrialized countries.