The Regional Nutrition Committee (RNC) has initiated a search for government offices and workers who are able to adopt a healthy lifestyle and lose weight through a healthy manner.
The search is from March to June.
For the agency category, agencies with the best healthy lifestyle program and highest percent reduction based on identified indicators will be awarded.
The agency must have an action plan and must have conducted baseline and endline nutrition assessment of its employees.
For the individual/employee category, employee/s with improved nutritional status from underweight to normal, highest reduction in waist circumference, and those with the highest reduction in weight will be recognized.
The RNC came up with a regional weight management project through diet modification, increase in physical activity, and education/behavior modification last year.
National Nutrition Council Regional Coordinator Rita Papey said the project was initiated because of the results of a study conducted in 2017 which showed that more than 50 percent of government employees are either overweight or obese.
The project aims for employees in the region to become healthy and productive, reduce the prevalence of malnutrition such as obesity and achieve normal weight, and for agencies to adopt the program and reduce non-communicable diseases (NCD).
Papey said obesity and overweight are risk factors for NCDs such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer that affect a person’s productivity and quality of life. Globally and nationally, NCDs are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality of which 30 percent are generally related to heart disease.
Papey said the menu developed by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute called Pinggang Pinoy was adopted by the sectoral committee of the Regional Development Council on Social Development as guide of government agencies in serving food during seminars, workshops, or meetings. Pinggang Pinoy or the food plate model menu is composed of 50 percent fruit and vegetables, 33 percent rice, and 17 percent protein. – Susan C. Aro
April 25, 2024
