Province ranked 6th among areas with most malnourished children

Though an estimated 23 percent or 207,978 of the 885,974 schoolchildren in the region are malnourished, according to the 2004-2005 data of the Department of Education, Cebu proves to have a lower malnutrition rate, taking 6th spot, among the key areas of four provinces in Region 7 even if it has the highest number of pre-school population.

In the latest Operation Timbang results released by the DepEd for schoolchildren, Cebu province ranked sixth with at least 74,194 students weighing below the normal weight of the 305,242 schoolchildren that were weighed in the province's elementary public schools.

Cebu City ranked 10th with at least 19,916 students weighing below normal from the 99,229 students that were weighed.

Bayawan City in Oriental Negros ranked number one in cases of malnutrition in the region with at least 27 percent or at least 5,594 of the 20,251 schoolchildren that were weighed.

Lapu-Lapu City ranked second with 26 percent or at least 10,030 underweight children of the 37,434 children that were weighed.

Bais City, Oriental Negros ranked next with 3,393 underweight schoolchildren of the 13,259 that were weighed. This was followed by Toledo City and Bohol with 6,579 and 39,672 schoolchildren who have weight problems respectively.

NNC Nutrition Program coordinator Letlet Mission said that a child is considered malnourished if his or her weight does not correspond to his or her height or vice versa.

Malnutrition is also the condition that develops when the body does not get the right amount of the vitamins and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function. It occurs in people who are either undernourished or over-nourished.

Undernutrition is a consequence of consuming too few essential nutrients or using or excreting them more rapidly than they can be replaced while overnutrition results from eating too much, eating too many of the wrong things, not exercising enough, or taking too many vitamins or other dietary replacements.

Malnutrition can be associated with the infant mortality rate in the region wherein the 2003 data of the National Demographic and Health Survey revealed that the mortality rate of region 7 is 29 per 1000 live births.

Malnourished children may be short for their age, thin, listless, and have weakened immune systems, which would make them prone to diseases.

There is an increased risk of malnutrition associated with chronic diseases, especially disease of the intestinal tract, kidneys, and liver. Patients with chronic diseases like cancer, AIDS, and intestinal disorders may lose weight rapidly and become susceptible to undernourishment because they cannot absorb valuable vitamins, calories, and iron.

People with drug or alcohol dependencies are also at increased risk of malnutrition. These people tend to maintain inadequate diets for long periods of time and their ability to absorb nutrients is impaired by the alcohol or drug's effect on body tissues, particularly the liver, pancreas, and brain.

Malnutrition causes lower IQs, poor school attendance and shorter attention spans, making the affected children more prone to repeat grades or to dropout of school entirely. Malnourished children also tend to achieve less in school.

NNC, DOH, DSWD and other concerned agencies have stepped up efforts to eradicate malnutrition among pre-schoolers or children below five years old through several programs that they have implemented.

Mission said that one of the programs is called the home community food production, where each LGU ensures that every household in the area has enough food intake.

The food fortification program, on the other hand, is initiated by the Department of Health and advocates adding micronutrients in most staple food, as mandated by the Food Fortification Act. - Jasmin R. Uy