AT FIRST glance, the latest data from the Iloilo Provincial Health Office, as reported by this paper recently, seems promising: undernutrition is declining among children under five. Underweight prevalence is down to 2.36%, stunting to 4.39%, and wasting to 0.91% — a steady improvement over the past three years, thanks to the province’s ART Response for Nutrition campaign.
But look deeper, and a more complex challenge emerges: alongside undernutrition, Iloilo is quietly facing another growing concern — childhood obesity. According to the 2024 Operation Timbang Plus survey, 3,148 children, or 2.04% of those surveyed, are overweight or obese. In many communities, hunger and excess now coexist, creating a “double burden” of malnutrition that requires urgent and nuanced attention.
This paradox reflects a broader national trend — children in poorer municipalities still suffer from chronic undernourishment, while those in more urbanized or better-off areas increasingly struggle with weight-related health problems. The reasons are interconnected: limited access to affordable healthy food, increasing dependence on processed, calorie-dense products, and declining levels of physical activity due to the spread of sedentary lifestyles, even among children.
What this double burden tells us is that nutrition interventions must evolve. It is no longer just a matter of feeding the hungry but also teaching families what to feed, how much, and why. Iloilo’s nutrition programs must be recalibrated to promote balanced diets, discourage junk food consumption, and foster lifelong healthy habits, especially in schools and barangay day care centers. Barangay Nutrition Scholars and frontline health workers must be equipped not only to monitor weight and height but to provide effective, age-appropriate nutrition counseling that addresses both ends of the malnutrition spectrum.
The province must also invest in behavior change communication and social marketing campaigns that resonate with today’s families. Public health messages must challenge the misconception that a fat child is a healthy child, while also emphasizing that good nutrition goes beyond simply having food on the table — it’s about the right kind of food, served at the right time, in the right portions.
The fight against malnutrition is no longer a battle on a single front. Iloilo must confront the reality that it is now waging war on two fronts — hunger and obesity — and both must be addressed with equal urgency. Only then can the province truly claim victory in building a healthier, stronger generation of Ilonggos.
