Samar’s provincial government will focus on “preventive, curative, and rehabilitative” aspects under its new program launched to combat malnutrition among children in the province.

Dubbed Tutok at Aksyon sa Nutrisyon (TAN), the strategy is an innovative response to the current malnutrition problem, Governor Sharee Ann Tan said in a statement on Friday.

The program would focus on educating the children and the community on health and nutrition, healthy meal planning, weight and height monitoring, and home and community food gardening.

“The curative aspect will include supplemental feeding to malnourished children, in-patient therapeutic care, out-patient therapeutic care, and a strengthened referral system from the rural health units to the hospitals,” Tan said.

Under the rehabilitative aspect, among the activities lined up are training on demonstration cooking and meal planning and preparations, training on nutrition storytelling, identification of malnourished children, and a refresher course for village workers on fighting stunting.

The provincial government will partner with different local government units in the province, including the Department of Health (DOH), the National Nutrition Council (NNC), the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and local nutrition action officers, to conduct several capacity-building activities.

“The TAN Kitchen Nutri-van will likewise roam around the province with the program’s mascot, Super G, to provide interactive and fun learning sessions to the children through storytelling, cooking demonstrations, and the provision of hot meals, among others,” the governor added.

The Super G strategy targets children less than 5 years old, where it acknowledges their magical thinking behavior. With the adoption of play therapy, Super G will help children understand nutrition, thereby generating a creative solution to malnutrition.

In 2021, the provincial government launched the Tatak Tangkad program, which adopted the First 1,000 Days Program of the government aimed at reducing child malnutrition, particularly stunting.

The new program, officially launched on Feb. 25, according to the governor, is a continuation of the province’s previous nutrition program and the incorporation of new strategies.

In the 2023 report of DOH and NNC, 21,565 children in Samar who were less than 5 years old were identified as malnourished. Of the number, 10,403 were stunted, 1,250 were wasted, 7,561 were underweight, and 2,351 were overweight. (PNA)