BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — An on-going convergence nutrition project in the municipality of Paracelis in Mountain Province is significantly reducing the prevalence of malnutrition among under five children.
Velanie Balajadia reported that the stunting prevalence rate in 2024 was 14.31 percent, down from the 20.14% data in 2023.
Aside from stunting, underweight, wasting, including overweight and obesity prevalence decreased. In 2023,the underweight prevalence rate was 8.16 percent, it went down to 6.96 percent in 2024. For wasting, from 2.24 in 2023 to 1.26 percent in 2024; for overweight and obesity, 3.18to 1.86 percent in 2024.
The Regional Social Development Committee of the Cordillera Regional Development Council, through the Regional Implementation and Coordination Team and the Regional Nutrition Committee (RNC) is currently implementing a 3-year project targeting the dual challenges of poverty and malnutrition.
The convergence project, now on its second year of implementation, aims to boost health and improve nutrition by conducting multi-year intervention programs to address malnutrition in identified municipalities.
Also, to provide assistance in the implementation of nutrition-sensitive, and nutrition specific programs to reduce incidence of malnutrition among the under-five children in the municipality; enhance capacity of the local nutrition committee members, and to foster collaboration among the various nutrition stakeholders for a unified and coordinated effort in addressing malnutrition, among others.
The town of Paracelis, which has the most number of severely stunted children and among the top 10 municipalities in terms of malnutrition prevalence in the Cordillera based on the 2023 nutrition situation, has been chosen as a pilot for this convergence nutrition project, Balajadia said. (JDP/MAWC-PIA-CAR)
