MINERVA BC NEWMAN
CEBU CITY – The notion that “chubby kids are
cute” must be corrected, says the National Nutrition Council (NNC), instead of describing
them as ‘cute’ this should be considered as obese, an issue and a disease.
NNC Nutrition officer Katherine Villanueva, in
a media interview last March 16 said that this notion must be corrected as this
may do more harm than good once these children get older.
“We are now correcting that notion through our nutrition
education programs, we are correcting this notion na ‘pag chubby ang bata, it
means it is good and they are cute,” Villanueva said.
According to the World Obesity Federation that
obesity should be considered as an issue and a disease. The 2019 Expanded National Nutrition Survey
conducted by the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Research
Institute (DOST-FNRI) revealed that around 27 million Filipinos or one-third of
the population were found to be overweight and obese.
Based on the study, there was a slight increase
in overweight and obese children, most especially among those nine to 10 years
old at 12.6 percent. Meanwhile, there
was a decrease in overweight-for-height among Filipino children belonging to
the zero to 23 months age group by 4.7 percent.
The study also showed that overweight and
obesity among adults drastically increased from 20.2 percent in 1998 to 36.6
percent in 2019, and the rate among adolescence has almost doubled from 4.9
percent in 2003 to 11.6 percent in 2018.
Villanueva said if the issues are not
addressed, such children will most likely continue to become overweight or
obese as they grow older, and they may become more prone to non-communicable
diseases such as cardiovascular mainly heart disease and stroke, diabetes,
musculoskeletal disorders, most likely osteoarthritis and some cancers.
According to the United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF), children with unhealthy diets who take little exercise are
increasingly prone to depression, underperforming at school and learning, and
are at greater risk of debilitating disease like diabetes later in life.
UNICEF representative to the Philippines
Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov said adequate nutrition is a fundamental human right
for every child and a pathway to a healthier future. “They are more likely to be hospitalized and
have a higher likelihood of severe disease. We must overcome an
obesity-promoting environment that entices children with junk food and offers
few opportunities for physical activity,” she pointed out.
Villanueva said obesity has a lot of
contributing factors other than unhealthy eating habits and lack of physical
activity, the environment, accessibility of junk food such even in restaurants,
as well as its easy delivery options.
There are less places where one can walk or run
or bike, because in the Philippines, very few local government units have
walkable pathways or bike lanes that are safe and have a good pathway, she stated.NNC to
address overweight, obesity
To address and curb cases of obesity, NNC
executive director Azucena Dayanghirang bared that the NNC Governing Board
recently approved the Philippine Nutrient Profile Model, which will provide
guidance in determining food and beverages that can be marketed to children and
as the basis for front-of-pack labelling of food products.
“This tool is intended to influence food
manufacturers to produce and reformulate to offer healthier food to consumers,”
Dayanghirang said. The NNC, which is
under the Department of Health, and other national partners have also
recommended steps to be taken against cases of overweight and obesity:
NNC will implement policies, legislation, and
interventions to promote physical activity including active transport and
promotion of green, blue, and open spaces in communities and workplaces.
It also wants to strengthen and sustain appropriate
social and behavior change communication on healthy diet and physical activity.
To implement a package of policies and
interventions to promote, protect, and support infant and young child
nutrition, especially in the first 1,000 days of life to prevent stunting and
reduce risk for children to become obese in their later lives.
Develop a strategy with corresponding funds,
human resources, and accountability mechanisms, including empowering the health
system with dedicated programs on obesity across the life stage.
Improve data, monitoring, and enforcement of
laws and introduce new legislation on marketing and labeling of food products;
provide subsidies to farmers and fisherfolk and increase access to nutritious
food.
Use social protection programs such as the
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or conditional cash transfer program to
improve access to healthy food, especially in times of disasters and to advocate for healthy school food environments for
children. (Photos: NNC/Google Images)
