Child malnutrition in CV drops in 2025

Local

A CHILD'S height mark on the wall can quietly tell a bigger story about health in Central Visayas.

Malnutrition remains a key public health concern in Central Visayas, even as the latest 2025 Operation Timbang Plus (OPT Plus) results show continued improvements in the nutrition status of children under five years old, according to the Regional Nutrition Committee.

National Nutrition Council Region-Central Visayas (NNC-7) said the committee reported a general decrease in malnutrition rates across all monitored indicators in 2025.

Underweight prevalence declined to 2.90 percent, stunting to 6.26 percent, wasting to 1.08 percent, and overweight and obesity to 1.91 percent. These figures reflect steady progress compared with previous years.

Records show underweight cases decreased from 3.2 percent in 2023 and 3.0 percent in 2024 to 2.90 percent in 2025.

Stunting dropped from 7.2 percent in 2023 and 6.7 percent in 2024 to 6.26 percent.

Wasting went down from 1.4 percent in 2023 and 1.3 percent in 2024 to 1.08 percent, while overweight and obesity declined from 2.1 percent in 2023 and 2.0 percent in 2024 to 1.91 percent this year.

Underweight means a child has low weight for their age, often resulting from inadequate food intake or illness, while stunting refers to being too short for age due to long-term undernutrition, which can affect growth and development.

Wasting describes being too thin for height, usually caused by recent weight loss from food shortages or disease, and it carries higher health risks.

On the other hand, overweight and obesity occur when a child has excess body weight for their height, typically due to consuming too many calories and having low physical activity, which increases the risk of future health problems.

Despite the downward trend, the Regional Nutrition Committee emphasized that malnutrition, particularly stunting, continues to pose a significant public health challenge in the region.

The committee acknowledged recent gains but stressed that sustained and intensified efforts remain necessary to effectively reduce all forms of malnutrition.

The committee also pointed out that the absence of data submissions from two local government units in Cebu Province may have affected the completeness and accuracy of the regional results.

It reiterated the importance of timely and complete reporting from all local government units to ensure reliable assessments and evidence-based planning.

OPT Plus is an annual monitoring activity carried out by grassroots nutrition workers to measure the nutritional status of children below five years old.

The assessment uses anthropometric measurements and three key indicators, weight-for-age, height or length-for-age, and weight-for-height or length, which based on the standards of the World Health Organization.

The Regional Nutrition Committee urged member agencies and local government units to use the 2025 OPT Plus findings to guide targeted nutrition interventions, especially in areas with high cases of stunting, and to integrate nutrition programs into local development plans and budgets.

It also called on parents, community leaders, and the public to support regular growth monitoring and proper child feeding practices, emphasizing that ensuring every child’s adequate nutrition is a shared responsibility among government, communities, and families.

Earlier, Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro has pledged to make nutrition, food security, and improved medical services among the top priorities of her administration after data showed Cebuano children experience malnutrition at rates higher than the national average.

She made the commitment during a meeting with officials of the NNC-7.

The governor said the provincial government would increase financial support for barangay nutrition scholars who help deliver nutrition services at the community level.

Regional officials also noted institutional gaps in previous years, including the lack of a fully operational provincial nutrition office, absence of dedicated personnel to oversee nutrition programs, and unused funds allocated for nutrition initiatives.

Cebu had set aside P100 million for its provincial nutrition program in 2024, but the funds were not utilized, and the proposed 2025 budget was not approved.

Baricuatro said her administration is addressing these concerns starting with stronger support for frontline nutrition workers.(MyTVCebu)