CATARMAN, Northern Samar (PIA) -- The Northern Samar Local Nutrition Action Plan for 2022 focused on the first 1000 days of child’s life to ensure children were given the optimum physical and mental development.

Hannah Abigail Bautista, nutritionist and dietician, said at the PIA Northern Samar radio program that the first 1,000 days of a child is the critical window to ensure that children survive and thrive.

“Mothers should ensure babies have the right mix of nutrients in their first 1000 days as this will help to better resist infections and allow their growing brains and bodies realize their full developmental potential,” Bautista said.

She added that priority actions to be undertaken include ensuring the good health and improved nutrition programs on maternal and child services access to sanitary water, sustain food accessibility and sufficiency through agriculture development, promote evidenced-based planning, and budget and budget policy-making process.

Baustista explained that the key strategies to improve health and nutrition actions will focus on the first 1000 days of a child, complementation of the nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programs, intensified mobilization of local government units, reaching geographically isolated areas and community of indigenous people, and complementation of actions from the national down to the local government units.

The 12 Philippine Plan of Action (PPAN) programs are embodied in the Local Nutrition Action Plan for 2022 to address the major nutritional issues in the province. (MMP/TBC/PIA-Northern Samar)