Capiz malnutrition rate goes down
Roxas City -- The prevalence of malnutrition rate in Capiz went down by more than 11 percent last year.
Nutritionist/Dietician Nenita Cesar of the Provincial Health Office (PHO) of Capiz disclosed that the province's malnutrition prevalence rate among 0 to 17 months old children slowed down by 11.65 percent in 2007.
Cesar said that in 2006, the malnutrition prevalence rate of the province was recorded at 11.5 percent, however it went down to 10.16 percent in 2007.
She said that the some 10,505 children of 103,290 eligible children weighed were found to be below normal low and below normal very low, which was based on the International Reference Standard (IRS).
Based on the PHO data, Tapaz town ranks first from 2006 to 2007, with a malnutrition prevalence rate of 23.19 percent and 25 percent, respectively.
In 2006, Mambusao town had the lowest malnutrition rate recorded at 4.01 percent, however, Sapian town recorded the lowest malnutrition rate last year with only 2.99 percent, Cesar said.
Late last year, medical directors and chiefs of hospitals in the National Capital Region (NCR) presented their commitment to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to end malnutrition and promote proper feeding for infants and young children.
The Infant and Young Child Feeding Strategy (IYCFS) aims to educate families on the correct way of providing proper nutrition to their children from birth up to the first two years of life.
Meanwhile, Capiz health officials have been intensifying their efforts in the campaign for exclusive breastfeeding up to six months and adopt the infant and young child feeding strategy to combat malnutrition.
Recently, President Arroyo has ordered her Cabinet to ensure that the "appropriation for the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)" is kept intact.
The eight United Nations (UN) MDG target by 2015 include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, universal primary education for children, gender equality and empowerment of women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, and develop a global partnership for development. (PIA)