Gov't conducts national nutrition survey

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The government urged today the Filipinos to participate on the national nutrition survey, which is now on full swing.

National Statistical Coordination Board Secretary General Jose Ramon Albert said that data collection from 46,000 households nationwide began last month and will end in December this year.

He said the Eighth National Nutrition Survey (NNS) provides information on the health status of Filipinos by determining and evaluating the food intake and other characteristics of the various subpopulation groups. The survey is conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) every five years.

"The survey, which adopts the 2003 master sample for household surveys and uses a multi-stage sampling design, will cover approximately 230,000 individuals nationwide," he said.

Results of the eighth NNS will serve as inputs to national plans and programs including the Medium Term Plan of Action for Nutrition (MTPPAN), Poverty Alleviation Programs, Food Fortification and Supplementation Programs, and the Philippine Coalition for the Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, Albert said.

In the seventh NNS conducted in 2008, he noted that among children zero to 10 years old, undernutrition continues to be a public health problem, affecting nearly three out of 10 children.

The percentage of underweight children in the country increased from 22.8 percent in 2005 to 25.6 percent in 2008.