BCPO launches operation “Tuli”
BUTUAN CITY, May 1 -- Around 120 boys from 35 barangays of this city received free circumcision from a group of benefactors spearheaded by Butuan City Police Station 1 recently.
Police Superintendent Joseph Boquiren, Station Commander of Butuan City Police Station 1 and the incumbent chief of the Police-Community Relations Branch of Butuan City Police Office, said the activity is part of the poice force's community service.
“We would like the public to know that the police is not only focusing in law enforcement and crime investigation but also committed to serve the general public, especially in terms of community service,” Boquiren was quoted saying.
The following office sponsors contributed the project with their personnel and medicines: Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Department of Health (DOH), Butuan City Medical Center (BCMC), Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC), and some members of a religious sector who requested anonymity.
PSSupt Jose Carillo, BCPO Director thanked the sponsors who contributed their efforts, expertise, and medicines to make the project a reality. “I also commend the personnel of my office who untiringly coordinated with the community and other government agencies in the success of the activity,” Carillo said. (BCPO/PIA-Caraga)
Feature: Are you moving enough?
by Celina Ann Z. Javier
Being inactive is probably the most common reason of becoming obese or overweight.
Overweight or obesity is when one has excessive fat build-up that poses a threat on one’s health.
Often the Body Mass Index (BMI) or your weight in kilogram divided by your height in meters squared, is used as a basis to determine if you are obese or overweight.
One is considered overweight when his or her BMI is greater than 25, while one is obese if the BMI is greater than 30.
Obesity is the number one contributing factor for developing cardiovascular diseases and other lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
If obesity can be controlled, there will be a large possibility of reducing the prevalence rate of lifestyle diseases.
BUTUAN CITY, May 1 -- Around 120 boys from 35 barangays of this city received free circumcision from a group of benefactors spearheaded by Butuan City Police Station 1 recently.
Police Superintendent Joseph Boquiren, Station Commander of Butuan City Police Station 1 and the incumbent chief of the Police-Community Relations Branch of Butuan City Police Office, said the activity is part of the poice force's community service.
“We would like the public to know that the police is not only focusing in law enforcement and crime investigation but also committed to serve the general public, especially in terms of community service,” Boquiren was quoted saying.
The following office sponsors contributed the project with their personnel and medicines: Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Department of Health (DOH), Butuan City Medical Center (BCMC), Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC), and some members of a religious sector who requested anonymity.
PSSupt Jose Carillo, BCPO Director thanked the sponsors who contributed their efforts, expertise, and medicines to make the project a reality. “I also commend the personnel of my office who untiringly coordinated with the community and other government agencies in the success of the activity,” Carillo said. (BCPO/PIA-Caraga)
Feature: Are you moving enough?
by Celina Ann Z. Javier
Being inactive is probably the most common reason of becoming obese or overweight.
Overweight or obesity is when one has excessive fat build-up that poses a threat on one’s health.
Often the Body Mass Index (BMI) or your weight in kilogram divided by your height in meters squared, is used as a basis to determine if you are obese or overweight.
One is considered overweight when his or her BMI is greater than 25, while one is obese if the BMI is greater than 30.
Obesity is the number one contributing factor for developing cardiovascular diseases and other lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
If obesity can be controlled, there will be a large possibility of reducing the prevalence rate of lifestyle diseases.
Increasing one’s physical activity is very important to prevent obesity or being overweight.
One will become overweight or obese if the amount of energy intake or the amount of food eaten is greater than the amount of energy output or the physical activity.
According to the Seventh National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST) in 2008, the physical activity of Filipino adults twenty years old and above is low.
Specifically, 92.7 percent have low leisure-related physical activity, which refers to all kinds of exercises whether low-or high-intensity.
About 94.5 percent have low travel-related physical activity like walking or cycling that are needed in traveling to and from places.
While 75.4 percent have low non-work related physical activity, like household chores, and 76.3 percent have low work-related physical activity.
With these data, it can be concluded that Filipino adults are generally inactive.
To prevent being overweight or worst being obese one must have a balance diet partnered with physical activity or keep moving instead.
“Keep moving” does not only mean doing the usual everyday work, but setting-aside at least thirty minutes of your day for exercise.
Thirty minutes of jogging or walking everyday or even just three times a week is enough to say that one has a high level of physical activity.
Being active is a continuous challenge for Filipinos who are advised to exercise regularly as recommended by the Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos (NGF).
Message number ten of the NGF states: “For a healthy lifestyle and good nutrition, exercise regularly, do not smoke and avoid drinking alcoholic beverage”.
Today, many Filipinos are becoming involved in physical activities such as fun runs and badminton tournaments.
However, this is just a small percentage of the population because these are often the people who can afford to register at different fun runs and tournaments.
Because of this, many people sometimes think that to be active one should spend money. Exercising need not be expensive.
One can do this at the comfort of their own homes, even without advanced equipment.
Jogging or walking in the park, dancing or doing exercises learned in grade school years, are proofs that exercising can be inexpensive.
There is no other time to exercise but NOW! Start moving!
For more information on food and nutrition, contact: Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, Director, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and Technology, General Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig City; Tel/Fax Num: 8372934 and 8373164; email: mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph, mar_v_c@yahoo.com; FNRI-DOST website: http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph. (FNRI-DOST/PIA-Caraga)
Feature: Nutritional guidelines can help eradicate malnutrition
by Czarina Teresita S. Martinez
In September 2000, the Philippines joined the global commitment to the Millennium Development Goals.
Goal Number 1 is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger where the indicator used is the prevalence of underweight children under 5 years of age and the target is to bring down to 17.25 percent by 2015.
In 2008, the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST) used several anthropometric parameters to classify the nutritional status of the population, one of which is the weight-for-age.
Results showed that 20.7 percent of children 0-5 years old are underweight based on the World Health Organization (WHO), Child Growth Standard (CGS). This roughly translates to 2 out of 10 Filipino children 0-5 years old are considered underweight for their age.
The present scenario may be frail but we still have time to make our children robust and meet our Millennium Development Goal (MDG) by 2015.
The three tiny steps towards optimum nutrition may be adopted from the Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos (NGF).
Step No. 1 – Eat a variety of foods every day.
Everyone including women of reproductive age are encouraged to eat a variety of foods to provide all the nutrients required in the proper amount and balance. The human body needs more than 40 different nutrients for good health. No single food can provide all the nutrients in the amounts needed.
Step No. 2 – Breastfeed infants exclusively from birth to six months and then, give appropriate food while continuing breastfeeding.
The national policy of the Philippines is to encourage the practice of breastfeeding. Republic Act 7600 known as the “Rooming-In and Breastfeeding Act of 1992”, encourages the practice of exclusive breastfeeding in health institutions, while Republic Act 10028, known as the “Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act” mandated breastfeeding facilities in public areas and offices and “milk breaks” for nursing female employees.
The nutritional requirements and the fluid requirements of an infant can be provided by breastmilk for the first six months, after which complementary foods should be given in addition to the breastmilk.
Step No. 3 - Eat clean and safe food.
Food and water are essential to life. Clean water is extremely important to a community. It is important that water used for preparing food and drink especially for children is clean and safe. Contaminated water is the usual source of infection such as cholera and other diarrheal diseases. Food safety in the home is a shared community effort of environmental hygiene and sanitation.
For more information on food and nutrition, contact: Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, Director, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and Technology, General Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig City; Tel/Fax Num: 8372934 and 8373164; email: mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph, mar_v_c@yahoo.com; FNRI-DOST website: http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph. (FNRI-DOST/PIA-Caraga)
Feature: Use of iodine salt up
by Czarina Teresita S. Martinez
The use of iodized salt in households is increasing, results of the 7th National Nutrition Survey (NNS) conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST) showed.
The increasing trend in iodized salt consumption has been observed from 24.8 percent (%) in 1998, to 56.4% in 2003 and then to 81.1% in 2008.
While it is increasing, the proportion of household using iodized salt still falls short of the goal set by the International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorder (ICCIDD), which is 90%.
The results of the survey offer a glitter of success among children because results showed that IDD, as measured by median Urinary Iodine Excretion (UIE) among children 6-12 years old, has achieved the optimal level in the recent survey. However, for pregnant women, the results showed that the UIE fell short of the goal.
Republic Act 8172 known as the “Act for Salt Iodization Nationwide” or ASIN Law was enacted in 1996 to help eliminate iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) in the country.
Salt iodization is the addition of an iodine fortificant to salt that is intended for human consumption in accordance with specification prescribed by the Food and Drug Administration.
Salt iodization has been the most cost-effective means of addressing IDD.
The United States of America started salt iodization in 1924 and six years after, goiter incidence dropped remarkably.
In Latin America, salt iodization contributed to the elimination of IDD in Bolivia and Ecuador
The Peoples Republic of China started serious commitment to universal salt iodization (USI) in 1991.
As reported by Mr. Lin Jiahua, Deputy General Manager of the China National Salt Industry Corporation, the coverage of salt containing 20 parts per million or more of iodine increased from 54% in 1995 to 93.8% in 1999.
The total goiter rate in Chinese children has been reduced from 20.4% to 8.8% during this period.
Clearly, salt iodization is the shield for long-term iodine deficiency and it has been reaping positive results globally.
The continued success towards the elimination of IDD in the Philippines is a joint partnership between the government and the private sector.
For more information on food and nutrition, contact: Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, Director, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and Technology, General Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig City; Tel/Fax Num: 8372934 and 8373164; email: mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph, mar_v_c@yahoo.com; FNRI-DOST website: http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph. (FNRI-DOST/PIA-Caraga)
