Undernutrition still afflicts Pinoy children

There has been a reduction in percentage of Filipino children suffering from underheight and underweight status in a span of 15 years.

However, undernutrition remains to be a major concern for children aged up to 10, according to the findings of the 2005 Nutritional Status of Filipino Children Survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI).

The survey covered 6,826 children from 17 regions and 79 provinces, excluding Batanes.

The survey indicated that 3.7 million children up to age five were estimated to be underweight for their age.

For the same age range, 3.9 million were short for their age, and more than 700,000 were thin. For children aged six to 10, there were 2.4 million who were underweight and 3.4 million who were short for their age.

On average, the percentage of underweight children up to age five went down from 34.5 to 24.6 percent for the period covering 1990 to 2005.

The percentage of underheight children aged six to 10 went down from 39.9 to 26.3 during the same period. On the other hand, overweight children of the same age group increased by 1.4 percent.

The six to 10 age group also decreased between 1989-1990 and 2005. Underweight percentage went down by 11.4 percent, and underheight by 12.8 percent. The percentage of overweight children in this age group increased by 1.5 percent during the same period.

The FNRI-DOST suggests a balanced diet to achieve optimal health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases across all ages.

The FNRI further gives assistance to better nutrition by coming up with a real food pyramid that includes the basic food groups: fats and oils; sugar/sweets; fish, shellfish, meat, and poultry; dried beans and nuts; egg; milk and milk products; vegetables; fruits; rice, rice products, corn, rootcrops, bread, and noodles; and water/beverages.