By Rey Anthony Chiu/PIA-Bohol | 12:46 AM September 12, 2021
From exclusive breastfeeding for zero to 6 months, the government’s intervention to nutrition comes when the baby turns two and he is found to be malnourished.
Thus revealed Bohol Provincial Nutrition Coordinator Glenda Grafilo, who spoke during Kapihan sa PIA’s radio forum on nutrition.
Malnourishment indicators include wasting, stunting and being underweight based on weight for height, height for age and weight for age ratios, as also considered by the World Health Organization’s global standards.
But before these all happens, the first 1000 days of a child which generally determines his being properly nourished is where the would-be-mother starts heaping up on the proper vitamins, minerals to facilitate the rapid physical and accelerated mental development and offers a unique opportunity to build lifelong health and intelligence, she explained.
The time spanning between conception and the child’s second birthday presents a rather unique chance when the foundations of health growth and brain development must be optimized, she said.
Interventions in the first 1000 days could solve the issues of stunting, underweight and wasting, the nutrition coordinator for Bohol stressed.
By interventions, she means the mother has to be focused on her diet, making sure she takes in not just for herself but also for the growing life in the womb.
The nutritionist at the Kapihan talked about heaping on food rich in iron and folate, or take in supplements to make sure the baby gets a good physical and brain development start.
Most of it, she added, is what the baby gets from the mother’s eating balanced diet where she has to get a good amount of go, glow and grow food.
Then, the mother-to be has to take prenatal services seriously so she may be educated if not trained on the nitty-gritty of food preparation, especially when she will have to feed the infant in the next two years.
Past the two years, kids found to be underweight, with stunted growth or wasted get to the interventions which the government put in place to get these kids back into the safe group.
In Bohol, the Milk Feeding Program is given to identified malnourished kids who start their supplemental milk feeding after getting weighted and found to be malnourished.
Grafilo said the milk feeding also puts in not just 2 years old but until 5 years old kids who have been determined as stunted or wasted.
This is apart from another feeding program set stunted children who are 6 months to 23 months; kids in the towns of Corella, Sikatuna, Danao, Buenavista, Garcia Herandez, Lila, Bien Unido, Pilar, Baclayon, Panglao, Tubigon, Alburquerque and Guindulman, she said.
The program called Tutok Kainan Supplemental Feeding program works with community stakeholders and governments in sex months feeding programs to focus on stunting.
The Natonal Nutrition Council is also sponsoring another supplemental feeding program for wasted kid in 10 towns in Bohol which she did not name. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
