Davao CHO strengthens nutrition program

THE Davao City Health Office (CHO) strengthens nutrition programs by encouraging barangays and households to plant vegetables.

Gizzelle Larra Cruz, the CHO’s Nutritionist Dietician of the Nutrition Division, said planting vegetables, whether in a backyard garden or containers, will provide food for the family.

“Naga-encourage jud mi sa bawat barangay, sa bawat balay nga magtanom og gulay. Para kung wala mo’y pangpalit og sud-an, at least naa sila’y tanom, naa sila’y masud-an nga masustansiya pa (We encourage every barangay, every household to plant vegetables. So that if they don’t have money to buy food, at least they have plants, which are more nutritious),” Cruz said in an interview on the city-owned Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR). 

Cruz said lack of nutrition will affect a child’s growth and development.

“Maglisod siya pag mag-school na siya kay maglisod jud siya og catch up sa iyahang pag-eskwela (It will be difficult for him when he goes to school because he will have a hard time catching up in his lessons),” she added.

Aside from lack of nutrition, the CHO is also addressing overnutrition problems.

“Kung ang undernourished nato nagkagamay, nagkadaghan pod ang atoang over(nourished) (While our undernourished is decreasing, our overnourished is increasing),” she said.

“So naay mga programs nga ang barangay magpadula. Naa pod ta’y mga nutrition counselling para makabalo ta unsa ang dapat kaonon, unsa ka daghan, unsa nga klase nga pagkaon, unsa atong mga dapat iwasan pod ang pagkaon para ma-less nato ang obesity (So, we have programs where barangays organised games. We also have nutrition counselling so that they will know what to eat, how much of food to eat, and what food to avoid to reduce obesity),” she said.

“Ayaw mo og kaulaw duol sa atong mga health center kay daghan kayo mi’g programa nga pwedeng itabang sa inyoha, para ma-lessen nato ang atoang mga lifestyle diseases (Don’t be shy to go to our health centers because we have a lot of programs that can help you, to lessen our lifestyle diseases),” she said. CIO