OBJECTIVES

Timely access to appropriate levels of care is essential for improving maternal, newborn,
and child health outcomes. To address persistent service delivery fragmentation and strengthen referral systems, the Philippine Department of Health issued Administrative Order 2020-0019 to guide the design of Health Care Provider Networks (HCPNs) under the Universal Health Care Act of 2019. This study assessed the extent to which sixteen municipalities across four provinces in Eastern Visayas comply with the HCPN service delivery guidelines in the context of maternal and newborn care.

The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional mixed-methods design, utilizing structured facility checklists to assess compliance with HCPN standards. Qualitative data were gathered through key informant interviews and focus group discussions with purposively selected stakeholders—decision makers, health personnel, and mothers—to contextualize findings. A three-lever framework for integrated care (policy, operational, and cross- cutting) guided the analysis

The findings revealed significant gaps between the current capacities of study health facilities and the requirements outlined in the HCPN guidelines. Major gaps included (1) weak cooperative governance mechanisms to support network-wide coordination; (2) limited systematic linkages between facilities, including fragmented referral protocols and non-interoperable health information systems; (3) inadequate investments in infrastructure, health human resources, and medical commodities; and (4) absence of performance monitoring systems across HCPNs.

BACKGROUND

Undernutrition remains a public health concern in the Philippines despite multitude of government efforts using different nutrition specific and sensitive interventions. Hence, the role civil society organizations play is important in augmenting the health and nutrition programs in the country. Community feedback is important as they are the receiving end of these programs.

The study aimed to know the perceived impact and community insights on the implemented health and nutrition programs in the four selected sites in the Philippines.

Qualitative program evaluation was used, and 50 discussants were recruited through purposive sampling. Semi-structured interview guide for focus group discussion was utilized to determine the perceived impact of the programs among the discussants, and thematic analysis was used to generate codes and themes.

The implemented health and nutrition programs were found to be a source of hope for the family and community and beyond basic necessities. However, there remain barriers in successful acquisition of new information such as a lack of resources and environmental influences. There are also learned opportunities such as continued support from the Civil Society Organization (CSO), and impact capacity building that are not sponsor-driven.

Overall, the participants see the health and nutrition programs as helpful for their children as these programs foster proper child rearing. The programs also empower the parents and the community through capacity building. However, there is a need to revisit implementing rules and guidelines to further maximize the benefits and resources of the programs.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The Philippine Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Interventions (PhilPEN) was introduced by the Department of Health through AO 2012-0029. This is anchored to WHO PEN, a prioritized set of cost-effective interventions that can be carried out to provide an acceptable standard of care at the primary health care level, even in low-resource settings. The study aims to evaluate the availability and adequacy of primary health care facilities in providing the PhilPEN package of interventions using the WHO assessment tool.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 25 randomly selected primary health care facilities in Metro Manila. Data were collected through structured interviews with facility staff and direct observation using a standardized questionnaire aligned with PhilPEN and WHO PEN guidelines. The tool assessed PhilPEN inputs (infrastructure, human resources, basic tools and equipment, essential medicines, record-keeping, financing) and services (risk assessment and screening, early diagnosis and monitoring, treatment and follow-up, counseling, referral of patients).

All facilities met the basic standards for infrastructure, human resources, record keeping, and financing. However, only 40% had all essential medicines, and just 16% had complete tools, including urine ketone/protein test strips. Risk assessment and patient counseling were consistently implemented, but early diagnosis and follow-up services were inconsistent due to training and supply gaps.

Primary health care centers in Metro Manila demonstrate partial readiness for PhilPEN implementation. Gaps in tools, medicines, and protocol availability should be addressed to optimize NCD service delivery.

BACKGROUND

Undernutrition remains a public health concern in the Philippines despite multitude of government efforts using different nutrition specific and sensitive interventions. Hence, the role civil society organizations play is important in augmenting the health and nutrition programs in the country. Community feedback is important as they are the receiving end of these programs.

The study aimed to know the perceived impact and community insights on the implemented health and nutrition programs in the four selected sites in the Philippines.

Qualitative program evaluation was used, and 50 discussants were recruited through purposive sampling. Semi-structured interview guide for focus group discussion was utilized to determine the perceived impact of the programs among the discussants, and thematic analysis was used to generate codes and themes.

The implemented health and nutrition programs were found to be a source of hope for the family and community and beyond basic necessities. However, there remain barriers in successful acquisition of new information such as a lack of resources and environmental influences. There are also learned opportunities such as continued support from the Civil Society Organization (CSO), and impact capacity building that are not sponsor-driven.

Overall, the participants see the health and nutrition programs as helpful for their children as these programs foster proper child rearing. The programs also empower the parents and the community through capacity building. However, there is a need to revisit implementing rules and guidelines to further maximize the benefits and resources of the programs.

Introduction: Residential settlement is seen as a contributing factor to the diet of children. This study aimed to investigate infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices between coastal and inland communities of Camarines Sur, Philippines. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 628 caregivers of infants and young children aged 0-23.9 months. Socio-demographic data were gathered. IYCF practices were assessed through face-to-face interviews using a list of indicators from World Health Organization guidelines. Descriptive and inferential statistics using chi-square test of association were done. Results: The majority of children were breastfed (coastal=97.1%; inland=96.8%; p=0.83), with most breastfed within 1 hour after birth (coastal areas 85.3%; inland areas 86.7%). However, the practice of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months was low for both areas (57.0% and 47.0%, respectively, p=0.58). Minimum meal frequency, continued breastfeeding until 23.9 months, and appropriate complementary feeding for children 6-8 months were also low in both areas. Meanwhile, unhealthy food consumption (inland: 85.4%; coastal: 79.8%) and zero consumption of vegetables or fruits were higher in inland areas. Consumption of meat products and sweet beverages was observed to be higher in coastal areas (coastal: 26.8%; inland: 16.9%). Conclusion: Minimal differences were seen in IYCF practices of caregivers between coastal and inland communities. However, the study found a notable difference in the consumption of sweet beverages, where coastal areas had significantly higher rates. This suggests that interventions must be made to educate caregivers to improve the diets of infants and young children

BACKGROUND

Filipino farmers recorded the highest incidence of poverty in the last decade. In addition, a heightened awareness was observed within agriculture and different government agencies to better understand the link between agriculture and nutrition. However, limited studies have been conducted in the Philippines integrating nutritionsensitive agriculture into the Municipal Agricultural Development Plan (MADP).

This study aims to determine the effect of capacity building on the knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy of municipal agriculturists on Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture (NSA) in CALABARZON.

This study utilized a non-randomized controlled trial design to measure the change in knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy of the municipal agriculturists on NSA and nutrition sensitivity of the MADP. A total of 57 municipal agriculturists from CALABARZON participated in the capacity building.

Local agriculture planners' knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy significantly improved after capacity building. In addition, membership of municipal agriculturists to local nutrition committee was significantly associated with higher scores difference in knowledge and self-efficacy after the training. Meanwhile, the score difference in their attitude was significantly related to the tenure of employment in local agriculture planners.

Capacity building on the NSA can significantly improve local agriculture planners' knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy. Thus, the government must support programs and initiatives concerning the NSA, like increasing the capacity of local agriculture planners. This will allow them to integrate nutrition-sensitive agriculture concepts positively into their agriculture development plan.

BACKGROUND

High-risk areas in the Philippines still experience a high prevalence of undernutrition. The efforts of the governments are not enough to reach those who are in need; hence, the presence of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) is crucial. One CSO has implemented health and nutrition technical programs to increase the number of well-fed children in four selected areas in the Philippines.

This study aims to shed light on the differences in the nutritional status of the children when they are characterized according to their sociodemographic and economic covariates.

An analytical cross-sectional design was used to survey 692 households, including 764 children aged 0–5 years old. Descriptive analysis and the Chi-Square test of difference were used to answer the objectives.

The study results show that no significant differences were observed when the nutritional status of the children was characterized according to the sociodemographic of the caregiver, food consumption score (FCS) and food security status, water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) practices, and economic indicators, except weight-for-height and marital status of caregivers, and weight-for-age and livelihood and economic support received by their caregivers (P = 0.02).

The majority of children, regardless of their nutritional status, share the same experience and resources in terms of sociodemographics of caregivers, FCS and food security status, WASH practices, and economic indicators. CSO can boost the impact of their health and nutrition interventions by harmonizing their efforts with government programs, leading to better-targeted and more efficient outcomes.

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are acknowledged as key drivers in realizing health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The University of the Philippines Manila, College of Public Health (UP CPH) together with the Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH), hosted the 53rd APACPH International Conference last 21-23 September 2022. The conference discussed current issues relating to the attainment of SDGs and promoted collaboration of leading academic institutions and other stakeholders in addressing various public health challenges. The conference revolved around the challenges and opportunities in attaining health-related SDGs, and the good practices and roles of HEIs in addressing health disparities. The lack of certificati on framework of public health tertiary programs, pedagogy and infrastructure, and ambiguous roles and network of public health professionals were discussed. The conference served as a platform for discussing potential resolutions and ways forward in addressing these challenges. Opportunities for improvement such as updating of policies and curricula, strengthening of internship and community engagement programs, establishment of capacity-building partnerships and programs, and developing multidisciplinary-competent faculty and students were identified. This paper providesthe highlights of the conference focusing on the good practices and roles of HEIs in addressing health disparities, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, and other issues and challenges in attaining SDGs.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Type II Diabetes Mellitus remains a pressing public health concern among Filipino adults, particularly prevalent in urban households belonging to the middle to richest wealth population. As body composition influences glucose metabolism, understanding the potential of anthropometric parameters is vital in predicting fasting blood sugar. This study aims to generate and find the most appropriate model that can detect likelihood of elevated FBS using different anthropometric parameters.

The data set from 2018-2019, 2021 Expanded National Nutrition Survey of Department of Science and Technology - Food and Nutrition Research Institute, consisting of 14,655 adults aged 18–65 years from 33 highly urbanized cities (HUCs) was used in this study. While controlling for study variables, multiple logistic regression was used to determine significant predictors affecting the fasting blood sugar (FBS) status of these adults.

The above normal status of each anthropometric parameter, in the models for BMI (aOR=2.33; pCONCLUSION

There is no single anthropometric parameter that can truly discern the status of elevated FBS. However, it appears the use of waist circumference and waist-hip ratio have the potential to be an indicator especially in settings where the evaluation of the actual FBS of the individuals is not feasible. Future research suggests exploring possible interaction of BP, and FBS, diet quality and adequacy, and the effectiveness of having multiple anthropometric parameters in one model.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the determinants linked to stunting among infants and young children aged 0-23 months in the Fourth District of Camarines Sur.

An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 628 primary caregivers with infants and young children aged 0-23 months in four municipalities of the Fourth District of Camarines Sur, Philippines, using a two stage stratified random sampling design. Data on sociodemographic and economic factors were collected through face-to-face interviews. Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) indicators were assessed using a list-based approach, while weight and length were evaluated using the World Health Organization Anthro Plus software. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression were done using R statistical software version 4.3.1.

The study revealed that the prevalence of stunting was of significant public health concern, reaching 42.8%. Holding other variables constant, age of the child (OR=0.77; 95% CI: 0.63-0.94), having college undergraduate mothers (OR=0.26; 95% CI: 0.05-1.28), and belonging to a poor income household (OR=0.40; 95% CI: 0.14-0.88) were associated with stunting among infants aged 0.01-6.00 months. Moreover, after controlling for the confounding effects of other variables, age (OR=1.09; 95% CI: 1.05-1.14) and sex of the child (OR=1.55; 95% CI: 1.05-2.28) were associated with stunting among older children aged 6.00-23.99 months.

This study emphasizes the challenge of stunting in the Fourth District of Camarines Sur. None of the IYCF indicators were associated with stunting; however, maternal education, the child’s age, sex, and socioeconomic status were identified as significant factors influencing stunting. Addressing these determinants through targeted interventions focusing on improving maternal education and enhancing socio-economic conditions were crucial to reducing stunting in the study areas.