ILOILO City — Nearly 23,000 children under five years old in Western Visayas continue to suffer from various forms of malnutrition, underscoring persistent nutrition challenges even as regional rates show gradual improvement, according to the National Nutrition Council (NNC).
Data from the 2025 Operation Timbang Plus revealed that 22,654 out of 348,000 children aged zero to 59 months in the region — including Negros Occidental — are experiencing malnutrition.
The officer-in-charge of NNC’s Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Sheryl Sedantes said the figure represents about seven percent of the total child population weighed, noting a continuing downward trend attributed to intensified local government efforts.
Among the different forms of malnutrition, stunting remains the most prevalent at four percent, affecting nearly 14,000 children in the region.
Stunting refers to low height-for-age and is often linked to chronic undernutrition, poverty, poor maternal health, and inadequate care during early childhood.
Wasting, or low weight-for-height, has a prevalence rate of 0.7 percent, affecting 6,502 children. This condition typically indicates recent or severe weight loss due to insufficient food intake or frequent illness.
Meanwhile, overnutrition — which includes overweight and obesity — stands at 1.9 percent, or 2,334 children.
The province of Antique recorded the highest stunting rate at nine percent, although Sedantes noted improvements compared to previous years when the rate was in double digits.
“Ang Antique gihapon ang may pinakadamo nga stunted pero if we look at the positive side, may reduction man sa case ni Antique. Before, mga 11 percent or 12 prevalence rate, subong nagnubo sang nine percent and continuous ang pagnubo,” said Sedantes.
She attributed the steady decline in malnutrition cases to the proactive role of local chief executives (LCEs), particularly in implementing nutrition-focused programs such as supplemental feeding and promoting “Go, Grow and Glow Foods.”
Local governments have also strengthened their Local Nutrition Action Plans, which serve as a framework for implementing targeted interventions aimed at improving child nutrition outcomes.
Despite the gains, health officials stressed that sustained efforts are needed to further reduce malnutrition rates and ensure that children in the region reach their full physical and cognitive potential, as emphasized by the World Health Organization./PN
