Undernutrition in the Philippines : Scale, Scope, and Opportunities for Nutrition Policy and Programming
For nearly 30 years, the rates of both wasting and stunting in the Philippines have been nearly flat. For 2019, the rate of stunting among children under five years of age (28.8 percent) was only slightly lower than in 2008 (32 percent)—the prevalence of underweight in 2019 was 19 percent and th...
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| Format: | Book |
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Washington, DC: World Bank
2021
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| Online Access: | https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/798061619807652635/undernutrition-in-the-philippines-scale-scope-and-opportunities-for-nutrition-policy-and-programming http://hdl.handle.net/10986/35530 |
| Summary: | For nearly 30 years, the rates of both wasting and stunting in the
Philippines have been nearly flat. For 2019, the rate of stunting among
children under five years of age (28.8 percent) was only slightly lower
than in 2008 (32 percent)—the prevalence of underweight in 2019
was 19 percent and that of wasting was 6 percent. Based on the World
Health Organization’s classification of undernutrition rates, the stunting
prevalence of children in the Philippines is of “very high” public health
significance. The Philippines’ 29 percent stunting rate places it fifth
among countries in the East Asia and Pacific region, and among the top
10 countries globally. The Philippines’ high levels of childhood undernutrition can lead to
a staggering loss of the country’s human and economic potential. The
burden on the Philippines’ economy brought by childhood undernutrition
was estimated at US$4.4 billion, or 1.5 percent of the country’s GDP, in
2015. Undernutrition robs Filipino children of their chance at a bright
future. When viewed through the lens of the World Bank’s Human Capital
Index (HCI), the country’s 2020 HCI score of 0.52 predicts that the future
productivity of children born today will be 48 percent below what they
might achieve if they were to enjoy complete education and full health. Undernutrition in the Philippines: Scale, Scope, and Opportunities
for Nutrition Policy and Programming presents a comprehensive,
analytical work on this topic. It provides evidence of why it is critical
that the government of the Philippines prioritize tackling this persistent
challenge. The report assesses the determinants and causes of childhood
undernutrition and reviews current policies and programs directed at
addressing this problem. Based on these analyses, the report provides
recommendations of how national policies and programs can be
strengthened to reduce the high rates of undernutrition in the country.
It sets out to inform the debate on the causes and potential solutions
of undernutrition while identifying high-priority policies and policy
commitments for action. |
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