NNC-7: CV malnutrition status declined in 2024

CEBU, Philippines — The National Nutrition Council-7 announced on Friday, February 28, 2025, that Central Visayas’s malnutrition status has modestly declined in 2024 across various forms of malnutrition affecting children below 5 years of age.
According to the results of the 2024 Operation Timbang Plus, an annual activity measuring all children aged 0-59 months, there was a decrease in both prevalence and magnitude of stunting (putot) from 7.2% (47,842 children) in 2023 to 6.7% (38,080 children) in 2024; wasting (niwang) from 1.4% (9,473 children) in 2023 to 1.3% (7,118 children) in 2024; underweight from 3.2% (21,481 children) in 2023 to 3.0% (17,229 children) in 2024; and overweight from 2.11% (13,970 children) in 2023 to 2.0% (11,491 children) in 2024.
“We would like to report to our media friends and the public that we have improved our nutrition situation here in Central Visayas,” said Dr. Parolita Mission, NNC-7 regional nutrition program coordinator, during the First Quarter Meeting of the Media Information Network for Nutrition and Development (MIND-7).
Mission stated that a major factor contributing to the decline in malnutrition statistics—stunting, wasting, underweight, and obesity—was the interventions implemented, especially with the support of local government units, which have significantly improved the situation.
The NNC-7 explained that the different forms of malnutrition reflect various statuses: stunting represents long-term malnutrition, wasting signifies acute malnutrition, overweight and obesity compare weight to height or length, and underweight compares current weight to age standards.
This decrease aligns with the region's steady reduction in malnutrition rates over the past three years, indicating slow but consistent improvements in the nutritional status of children—a key success indicator of the nutrition program management.
MIND-7 comprises journalists from print, radio, and television, as well as bloggers and social media personalities, who help strategically craft campaigns to achieve desired behavior changes and further improve the nutrition landscape in Central Visayas. — (FREEMAN)
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