BAGUIO CITY – Members of the Cordillera Administrative Region Media Educators in Nutrition (CAR-MENU) and the Cordillera office of the National Nutrition Council (NNC-CAR) will be conducting a Nutri Pasada program in barangay Tdiangan, Tuba, Benguet on July 24, 2018 to help in contributing to the efforts of the local government in curbing malnutrition in the said area.
The Nutri Pasada program has been conceptualized by the CAR-MENU purposely to bring to the nutritionally depressed barangays the basic programs of government on good nutrition, healthy lifestyle and organic farming through the conduct of lectures, cooking contests and games for the participating children.
NNC-CAR regional nutrition program coordinator Rita Papey said Tadiangan was chosen to be the recipient of the Nutri Pasda program this year because of the reported high prevalence of malnutrition among pre-school and school aged children which is one of the primary concerns that should be given utmost attention by the different implementing agencies.
During the conduct of the program in Tadiangan, guest lecturers on nutrition and backyard gardening will provide the required lectures to the parents and children while the cooking contest will be facilitated by the members of the CAR-MENU wherein participating parents will be required to purchase the ingredients of a nutritious viand which will be judge pursuant to a criteria that will be provided them.
On the other hand, school aged children will be required to participate in games that have messages on good nutrition and healthy lifestyle so that they will be provided with the needed information on the importance of good nutrition in their growth and development as productive individuals of the community where they belong.
Aside from malnutrition among pre-school and school aged children where the region is doing well in addressing issues on malnutrition, Papey admitted that one of the priority concerns being given attention by the concerned agencies and the local governments actively involved in the implementation of nutrition programs is the problem on obesity among the younger generations wherein CAR is in within the top two regions when it comes to obesity.
The NNC-CAR official underscored the importance of enticing children to eat nutritious food like fruits and vegetables and for parents to refraim from bringing their children to the fastfood chains which has become a regular practice of families during their free time, thus, problems of obesity in the region started to crop up several years back.
Director Papey said that concerned government agencies and the local governments are now doing better in the implementation of the needed interventions that will contribute in efforts to significantly reduce malnutrition in their areas of jurisdiction while working in the appropriate programs that will curb the continuous increase in obesity cases around the region considering that it has emerged as one of the major problems of every local government.
Part of the interventions being done by the NNC-CAR in partnership with local governments include information and education campaign to widely inform the people in the importance of the practice of good nutrition and healthy lifestyle.
By Dexter A. See
Banner photo from: Alpha Stock Images
