One in every four or 26.7 percent of children under five years old is stunted during the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS) by the Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) showed.

However, according to DOST-FNRI, this was better than the country’s adjusted target of 28.8 percent stunting rate in the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the other hand, the agency disclosed that obesity among these age groups is at 3.9 percent and 14 percent, respectively, which did not meet the PPAN targets of no increase or reduced obesity prevalence.

"The same trend was seen among adolescents and adults, 20 years old and above, where overweight and obesity are 13.0% and 38.6%, respectively, which were higher than the targets," it added.

Meanwhile, the ENNS also revealed that thinness or wasting prevalence among under-five and school-age children 5 to 10 years old was 5.5 percent and 6.9 percent, respectively, which were also lower than the adjusted targets in the PPAN.

"Exclusive breastfeeding was practiced among 60.1 percent of mothers of infants. However, only one in every 10 or 13.3 percent of children 6-23 months old met the minimum acceptable diet (MAD), indicating poor quality and quantity of complementary foods. The 2021 ENNS showed a general picture of the food and nutritional situation when the country was experiencing during the pandemic surges," DOST-FNRI said.

The said survey was conducted from July 2021 to June 2022 in 37 provinces and highly-urbanized cities (HUCs) across the country. A total of 141,189 respondents were covered in the 2021 ENNS, which included assessment of weight and height measurements of all household members, blood pressure, sugar, and lipid profile of adults.

Vitamin status, smoking, and alcohol drinkers Also included in the survey were the Vitamin A, iodine, and iron status of selected population groups, dietary intake of all household members, breastfeeding and infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices of children, household food security status, and socioeconomic profile of households.

Other results showed that smoking and alcohol drinking among adults continued even with some mobility restrictions during the pandemic. About one in every five or 19.0 percent of adults was a current smoker, which was more common among males at 39.2 percent than females at 3.8 percent.

Moreover, about a quarter or 24.4 percent of adults were current alcohol drinkers in the past 30 days, which was also significantly higher among males at41.3% than females at11.7 percent.

Insufficiently physically active adults were observed in four out of 10 or 40.5%, which was more common among females than males.

The results from the survey are valuable data in crafting policies and programs addressing the effects of the pandemic and moving toward full recovery and achieving the country’s commitment to global development goals. Other food, nutrition, and health indicators from the survey were presented at the National Nutrition Summit on Nov. 14, at Dusit Thani Manila, Makati City.