TACLOBAN CITY – The City Health Office here continues its Operation: Timbang (OPT) Plus, a yearly weighing and height measurement of children below five years old.
In the city, the CHO is targeting over 28,000 qualified children related to its OPT Plus activity which aims to determine the nutritional level of the children.
The ongoing program reached 80% of the population of preschoolers with the help of the Barangay Nutrition Scholar in all 138 barangays of the city.
“In 138 barangays, it aton BNS nagtitimbang ngan naghaheight ha mga kabataan nga 0-59 months old. Ini in para madetermine naton an kabutangan hit mga bata, kun ada na ba hira ha risk ngan para mabuligan hira hit iba pa nga programs hit aton opisina sugad hit Barangay Nutrition Action Plan Formulation ngan an Infant Young Child Feeding Program,” Liza Lendero, city nutrition program coordinator, said.
Under the program, the nutritional status of children are classified as stunted, wasted, overweight, or underweight upon computing their weight and measured height.
Last year, of the 28,890 preschoolers, only 20,080 were weighted or about 69.5% of the OBT Plus coverage.
Furthermore, according to the record, there were 11.4% severely stunted, 3.4% severely wasted, and 5.8% underweight children in the previous year.
The OBT Plus program aims to reach a hundred percent of children aged 0-59 months in order to look for ways to take action on those who are nutritionally deficient.
Still, it will be based on the participation of all barangays to reach the target, Lendero added.
(JEIZEL C.JUSAYAN, LNU Student Intern)
