Nourishment of a child starts from pregnancy, which highlights the importance of childbearing mothers to have regular prenatal check-ups. Once the baby is born, exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months is highly recommended, supplying the child with the adequate amounts of calories and nutrition for his growth and development. After 6 months of life, complementary food are added. Immunization against common and preventable communicable diseases must also be strictly followed. 

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          Malnutrition is problem that never fades in the Philippines. According to the WHO, malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excess or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients. Poverty is the main reason behind malnutrition, a problem that is difficult to address. According to WHO’s World Health Programme, one of the most serious effects of malnutrition is the inability to resist disease. Micronutrient deficiencies impair children’s cognitive capacity, weakens immune system, increase national morbidity and mortality rates, and hinders economic growth.  According to UNICEF, 95 children die every day due to malnutrition in the Philippines. 27 out of 1000 Filipino children do not reach past their fifth birthday and if they do, they face an uncertain future.

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                As defined by the WHO, a child whose malnourishment is moderately acute means that his/her weight for height falls between 70 to 80% (- 3 SD and - 2 SD) below median, and/or his Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) is between 11 - 12.5 cm (110 - 125 mm). Whereas, a child with severe acute malnutrition is someone whose weight for height is less than 70% (<-3 SD) of the median weight for age, whose MUAC falls below 11 cm (<110 mm), and/or has bilateral edema. It is of utmost importance that this can be identified and assessed correctly, for different interventions are needed in each classification, and an early and appropriate management is key to a vulnerable child’s survival. 

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             Last July 2019, a barangay-wide community survey was done. Among the questions asked were about malnutrition and the possible causes and risk factors that persist in the barangay that may have contributed to malnutrition. The data captured revealed that 3 (2%) of the mothers did not get prenatal check-ups, 28% were not exclusively breastfed, 206 (64%) have not received vitamin supplements, and 199 (67%) has no history of deworming.

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              Last January 2020, in conjunction with the municipality’s mass weigh-in (Oplan Timbang), the group measured the height and weight of children ages 0-59 months old. The results revealed that out of 238 children under 5 years old, there are 59 (24%,) who were not within their normal weight-for-age. These identified children were further classified as to whether they are stunted or wasted based on the WHO Standard Growth Chart. Among them, 13 (22%) are wasted, 5 (8%) are severely wasted, 27 (48%) are stunted, and 18 (30%) are severely stunted.

Lastly, these identified children were categorized based on their nutritional status through the utilization of MUAC. Out of 59 children with inappropriate weight-for-age, 34 (57%) are at risk for acute malnutrition, 16 (27%) are under moderate acute malnutrition (MAM), 4 (5%) are under severe acute malnutrition (SAM), and 5 (5%) are overweight. 

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               The proposed solutions of the researchers in collaboration with the barangay council, its residents, the Local Government Unit, and other stakeholders, aim to address issues regarding the causes and risk factors leading to malnutrition. These solutions will involve a constant and accurate growth monitoring system for an improved case identification and tracking. Implementation and evaluation of existing national programs, including those on supplementary feeding, breastfeeding, and deworming, among others, will be put into action. 

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                The formation of Core Group known as Mothers Against Malnutrition in Maras (MAMMs) will serve as the backbone of every activities related to malnutrition. A series of mothers’ class involving pregnant mothers and lactating mothers was done. A Family MUAC Training was also done by the community headed by the PHN, providing mothers of malnourished children necessary skills to monitor and detect early signs of malnutrition. IEC materials and Pre-recorded videos taken from the National Nutrition Council, edited and created by the researchers was sent to Barangay Maras and presented during the series of assembly. Nonetheless, even in the state of COVID 19 pandemic, activities scheduled was put into action and the community gradually was seen attaining the self- reliant community everyone desires.

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                 As for the assurance of the sustainability of these resolutions, the researchers intend to create a sense of ownership among the residents of barangay Maras on these projects. A core group, with representation from the different puroks, will be created to spearhead the activities. A campaign on information dissemination through health education, targeting those mothers and other primary caregivers of susceptible children, will also be key in sustaining the effectiveness of said solutions at a household level, tackling the issue on the lack of education on proper nutrition. 

Finally, to sustain this project during the state of COVID-19 pandemic remains an obstacle especially for the community of Barangay Maras. Still, these implementations are essential to be
accomplished through new platforms such as the social media in this New Normal.