LUNA, Apayao – The Provincial Health Office (PHO) launched the 50th National Nutrition Month celebration today, July 2, in Luna, calling on the yApayaos to support the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2023-2028 to improve children’s nutrition, combat stunting, and address childhood overweight and obesity in the province.
This year’s theme, “Sa PPAN: Sama-sama sa Nutrisyong Sapat Para sa Lahat,” emphasizes the need for unified implementation of nutrition programs across the country. The celebration serves as a platform to discuss the PPAN, encouraging increased support from stakeholders, mobilizing them to promote and support the PPAN, and urging the public to adopt positive nutrition behaviors.
The Nutrition Month campaign aims to boost consumer demand for healthy diets and improve access to adequate, age-appropriate, nutrient-dense, diverse, safe, and sustainable diets. The PPAN includes nutrition interventions for all life stages and highlights the importance of educating families and communities on proper nutrition.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Mark Joleen Calban noted that one of their biggest challenges is addressing the health of children aged 0-59 months, where stunting and wasting are prevalent. Stunting means children are short for their age, while wasting refers to those who are underweight for their height. By JCM