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.

Introduction: Accurate weight measurement is critical for assessing growth and nutritional status in children, yet errors due to equipment can affect reliability. This study evaluated reliability of weight measurements obtained by community health workers using four weighing tools: SECA model 878, NutriScale Digital, Tanita model HD-662, and mechanical hanging infant weighing scale. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two municipalities in Laguna, Philippines, where three pairs of end-users measured weight of 80 children aged 0-59 months in house-to-house and stationary setups across rural and urban areas. Inter- and intra-measurer reliability were assessed using correlation coefficients (CC), technical error of measurement (TEM), and coefficient of variation (CV). Benchmark values included TEM <0.1 kg and acceptable %TEM thresholds (≤1.5% intra-measurer; ≤2% inter-measurer). Results: All four tools demonstrated acceptable reliability. NutriScale and Tanita consistently recorded the lowest TEM and %TEM values across settings, followed by SECA, which also met acceptable standards. Variability in measurements, however, was observed between house-to-house and stationary setups, particularly in rural areas. Differences in tool performance appeared influenced not only by the device characteristics but also by contextual factors such as measurer consistency, child’s age, and environmental conditions. Conclusion: Although NutriScale and Tanita showed higher consistency, measurement accuracy cannot be attributed to the scale alone. Field variability, proper calibration, and adequate measurer training remain critical for reliable assessments. Future research with larger samples and age stratification is recommended to better evaluate scale performance and inform tool selection for community-based programmes such as Operation Timbang (OPT).

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine the motivating and hindering factors affecting the Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices of Muslim mothers in select municipalities of Maguindanao.

A pretested questionnaire was administered through face-to-face interviews conducted among 320 randomly selected Muslim mothers with a child aged 6-23 months.

Results revealed that prelacteal feeding was practiced by 16.6% of the Muslim mothers, giving mostly plain water. Solid/semi-solid foods were introduced at a mean age of 6.1 ± 1.4 months, with home-cooked lugao (porridge) (55.0%) and commercial baby food (31.3%) as the top foods introduced. The majority of Muslim mothers (82.5%) fed processed foods as complementary food to their children, including instant noodles (85.2%) and canned goods (51.5%). These processed foods were mostly obtained from sari-sari stores, with TV as the top source of information. More than 80% of the Muslim mothers cited food availability, economic reasons, and convenience in food preparation as the top three motivating factors in the practice of complementary feeding (CF). In addition, almost all the Muslim mothers (~97%) mentioned seeing their children grow healthy as the top reason for improving their food preparation practices, followed by positive feedback from their families. Meanwhile, household duties, low milk output, and a new pregnancy make it difficult to continue breastfeeding, while high complementary food costs, a limited budget, and a lack of food make it difficult to provide complementary food. The preparation of food for infants and young children is hindered by an increased workload and a lack of understanding.

The results revealed suboptimal practices in prelacteal feeding and the reliance on processed foods among Muslim mothers, with economic factors, availability, and convenience as motivating factors in complementary feeding practices. Challenges such as household duties, low milk output, and financial constraints hinder breastfeeding and nutritious food provision for infants and young children. The study reinforced the necessity for holistic strategies in IYCF promotion among Muslim mothers.

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.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the motivating and hindering factors affecting the Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices of Muslim mothers in select municipalities of Maguindanao. Methods: A pretested questionnaire was administered through face-to-face interviews conducted among 320 randomly selected Muslim mothers with a child aged 6-23 months. Results : Results revealed that prelacteal feeding was practiced by 16.6% of the Muslim mothers, giving mostly plain water. Solid/semi-solid foods were introduced at a mean age of 6.1 ± 1.4 months, with home-cooked lugao (porridge) (55.0%) and commercial baby food (31.3%) as the top foods introduced. The majority of Muslim mothers (82.5%) fed processed foods as complementary food to their children, including instant noodles (85.2%) and canned goods (51.5%). Conclusion The results revealed suboptimal practices in prelacteal feeding and the reliance on processed foods among Muslim mothers, with economic factors, availability, and convenience as motivating factors in complementary feeding practices. Challenges such as household duties, low milk output, and financial constraints hinder breastfeeding and nutritious food provision for infants and young children. The study reinforced the necessity for holistic strategies in IYCF promotion among Muslim mothers.
breast feeding, Islam, malnutrition

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). Objectives: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusion 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.
agriculture ; food security ; capacity building

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the acceptability of four height/length boards as measuring equipment, (1) NNC wooden height board (HB), (2) Allen's stick, (3) aluminum-acrylic height board, and (4) stadiometer, from the perspective of the community nutrition and health workers (CNHWs) and mothers/caregivers.

METHODS: The study was conducted in two municipalities in the province of Laguna, Philippines. Respondents were 12 CNHWs and 22 parents/guardians of randomly selected children ages 1-5 years. Focus group discussions were also conducted among CNHWs to determine their perceptions, experiences, and feedback on the use of the equipment. Parents/guardians were interviewed about their views on the acceptability of the equipment.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the urban area, Allen's stick was most favored by end-users, while in the rural area, the NNC wooden HB was the most acceptable. Meanwhile, guardians preferred the aluminum-acrylic HB in the rural area and Allen's stick in the urban area. It was concluded that the use of height boards to measure the height or length of children was acceptable to both CHNWs and parents. CHNWs preferred the stadiometer for height measurement and Allen's stick for length measurement. In contrast parents/guardians preferred the aluminum-acrylic HB and Allen's stick as these were deemed non-threatening, culturally acceptable, safe, comfortable for the children, and the procedures were easily understood.

Introduction: Folate deficiency is associated with many complications of pregnancy. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to determine the prevalence and factors associated with deficiency in red blood cell (RBC) folate among Filipino women of child-bearing age in the Province of Batangas, Philippines. Methods: A total of 184 Filipino women aged 15 to 49 years were interviewed on their socio-economic and demographic profiles. Mean energy and folate intakes were obtained using food recalls over a three-month period. RBC folate was used to measure long-term folate status and analysed through immuno-assay method. Results: About two in ten women were folate deficient based on the normal cut-off points (<400 ng/mL) preventive of neural tube defect-affected pregnancies. Respondents have very low intake of folate at 81 and 239 micrograms dietary folate equivalent (µg DFE) from dietary sources and with folic acid supplementation, respectively. Vegetable gardening and livestock raising (p<0.10) and use of folic-acid containing supplements showed significant correlations with folate status (p<0.05). Further, regression analysis showed that among the significant factors, the non-usage of folic acid-containing supplements showed increased likelihood of RBC folate deficiency by six times compared to users (OR=6.391, p<0.10). Conclusion: The findings of the study suggest a high prevalence of folate deficiency among Filipino women. Folate is an essential nutrient for healthy pregnancy. It is important that women, capable of bearing a child must assure adequate folate intake from foods and folic-acid containing supplements. The study recommends a more aggressive campaign on the importance of folate among women of child-bearing age.

Introduction: Micronutrient malnutrition among young Filipino children is attributed to inadequate food intake and improper feeding practices. To improve nutrient intake, home fortification using multiple micronutrient powders (MNPs) targeting 6 -23 monthold children became an intervention program referred to as Point of Use Complementary Food Fortification with Multiple Micronutrient Powders in Zamboanga City and the Municipality of Aurora in Region IX, Philippines. This study aimed to determine the extent of knowledge and use of complementary food with MNPs in the context of the said intervention program and implementation areas. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 120 randomly selected primary caregivers with 6 -23-month-old children in the covered program areas. A questionnaire designed to elicit knowledge and use of MNPs was developed and pre-tested before data collection. Results: Results showed that all respondents were aware of MNPs, with local health workers as the information source. Percentage of respondents with knowledge of the purpose of MNPs varied widely. Among those who did, the most well-known function was improving children’s health status. The most common practice of fortifying food with MNP involved adding it to boiled rice and vegetable dishes. Home fortification is popularly practised after cooking the food. Of the 20% respondents who claimed to observe changes in their children due to MNP, the top two positive results were children’s increased appetite and increased growth. Conclusion: Awareness of the MNP does not necessarily translate into knowledge of what the MNP is made up of or its purpose. Although home food fortification using MNP was practised by most households, this study revealed deviations from recommendations on how to properly fortify their foods using the MNPs. Based on the findings in this study, there is a need to complement awareness of the primary caregivers with knowledge on MNPs through counselling and initiating support groups among caregivers to serve as credible and first hand examples of the proper use of MNPs.

Introduction Fishes and shellfish not only contribute to food and nutrition security but also to the livelihood of coastal communities in the Philippines. However, some fishing grounds are contaminated and health advisories against seafood consumption are issued, which may negatively affect the fishing communities’ livelihood. This study aimed to assess fish and shellfish consumption of households living in selected coastal barangays of the Marilao-Meycauayan-Obando River System ( MMORS). The food systems framework was applied whereby fish and shellfish consumption and livelihoods were viewed as part of a larger food system. Methods: The study was conducted in five barangays of the MMORS. A total of 110 household respondents were selected based on systematic random sampling. Key informants were interviewed to determine fish farm production and distribution. The final questionnaire included questions on socio-demographic information, household consumption information on frequency of consumption of fishes and shellfishes, sources of produce, fish and shellfish preparation and cooking methods, and perceptions on the fish produce in the area. Data were encoded and tabulated while qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Fishes and shellfishes are grown in earth-diked fish ponds using river water or harvested along the river system. No post-harvest processing is done and harvests are directly sold in fish markets within the area or nearby towns depending on the price and size of harvests. Fish consumption in both areas is affected by taste, tradition, price, nutritional value, age, gender and intra-household roles, and is found to be higher compared to national levels in the Philippines. Conclusion: The feedback of health and nutrition advisories which are based on food consumption patterns to other food outcomes like livelihoods and ecological health were included in this study. Based on the findings, it is suggested that appropriate interventions should be implemented to balance food system outcomes.