Panayam kay Science Research Specialist II Irvin Protacio ng DOST-FNRI kaugnay ng anemia sa Pinoy school-age children
Panayam kay Science Research Specialist II Irvin Protacio ng DOST-FNRI kaugnay ng anemia sa Pinoy school-age children
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00:00 Anemia in Filipino School-Age Children.
00:02 We are talking with Kim.
00:04 Sir Kim Irvin Protasho,
00:06 Science Research Specialist II of DOST,
00:09 Food and Nutrition Research Institute or FNRI.
00:13 Sir Kim, good afternoon and welcome to the new Philippines.
00:16 Good afternoon also, Ma'am Nemia and Sir Edwin.
00:20 Sir Kim, first of all, what is anemia?
00:22 For our countrymen, what are the symptoms
00:25 and possible causes of this disease?
00:27 Anemia is a medical condition
00:31 where our body lacks healthy red blood cells.
00:36 Red blood cells or hemoglobin levels are low
00:41 compared to the normal level.
00:43 Hemoglobin is partly formed by the ion
00:46 where hemoglobin serves as a transporter or carrier of oxygen
00:52 to different parts of our body to function.
00:55 If hemoglobin is not enough in our body,
00:59 oxygen is also not enough to be delivered to each part of the body.
01:03 This can manifest in various symptoms
01:07 like fatigue, dizziness, nausea, or shortness of breath.
01:12 So, there are many possible causes of anemia.
01:17 One of them is our diet.
01:19 A diet that lacks vitamins and minerals
01:22 like iron, folate, and vitamin B12
01:26 can cause anemia.
01:28 So, for example, a diet that lacks
01:32 good sources of iron like meat,
01:36 pork, beef, or chicken,
01:39 and vegetables like malunggay and tomato,
01:43 can cause anemia.
01:45 Another one is parasitic infections.
01:51 So, parasites in our body
01:57 can impede the utilization of vitamins and minerals.
02:02 It is also possible that due to the socioeconomic and demographic
02:06 characteristics of our household and children,
02:09 like their income level,
02:11 or their ability to buy food.
02:14 Sir Kim, sorry, just a follow-up.
02:16 Speaking of symptoms,
02:17 there is a popular belief that if a person is too fair or fair-skinned,
02:25 like our partner here,
02:27 does it mean that he is anemic?
02:30 There you go.
02:31 Just by looking at me or somebody, can you tell?
02:34 It is possible that it will manifest when we are too fair-skinned
02:38 because our red blood cells give off a bright color.
02:42 So, if we are not healthy enough,
02:45 our skin color will be lighter or paler.
02:50 It is better to look at our blood
02:55 to confirm that we are anemic.
02:58 What kind of blood test do you need
03:00 to confirm that I am anemic or not?
03:03 Okay.
03:04 We need to get blood from our CBC.
03:08 Just the CBC?
03:10 Yes.
03:10 It is very simple.
03:11 It is easy to know if we are anemic.
03:15 Okay.
03:16 According to the DOST-FNRI,
03:19 how many Filipino school-age children are anemic?
03:24 Okay.
03:25 Currently, the national estimate of anemia in school-age children is 12.1%.
03:31 This is considered a public health problem of mild significance.
03:36 This is based on the 2018-2019 expanded national nutrition survey
03:42 that our institution conducted.
03:43 If you notice, this is pre-pandemic.
03:50 So, currently, we are conducting national nutrition surveys.
03:56 It started last year and we are continuing it this year
03:59 to have more updated data regarding anemia.
04:04 So, there.
04:05 If it is 12.1%, how many are those?
04:08 One in ten school-age children in the Philippines.
04:12 When you say school-age, how old are those?
04:15 So, we consider our school-age children to be 6 years old
04:19 and 1 month to 12 years old.
04:22 6 to 12.
04:23 Yes.
04:23 These are our children who are still in school.
04:27 They are still playing.
04:30 They are the ones undergoing rapid growth and development.
04:34 Oh, and so that's very worrisome,
04:36 knowing that one out of ten, and this is pre-pandemic,
04:39 That's a big number.
04:40 Yes, that there is anemia now.
04:42 Is this also a possible reason why our children are not being treated or stunted?
04:50 This could be contributing to our problem of stunting.
04:54 But it would be better if we conduct further studies
04:59 to prove that anemia is related to our stunting problem of just a few decades.
05:08 Yes, it could be genetic.
05:10 I hope that we are like Eusebio and Edu, who are really smart.
05:16 Sir Kim, what do you specialists see as the cause of this prevalence of anemia
05:22 in the age group of school-age kids?
05:25 Okay.
05:25 So, based on our new studies,
05:28 we found that children aged 6 to 9 years old
05:32 have a higher chance of developing anemia.
05:36 So, many studies in the US say that this is because they are still undergoing rapid growth and development.
05:44 So, we need more iron or hemoglobin in our bodies.
05:49 So, another finding for us is that
05:53 for families that are not beneficiaries of the 4-Piece or Pantawid Pamilang Pilipino Program
05:59 in rural areas and not beneficiaries of the National Dairy Supplementation Program in urban areas,
06:05 the chances of developing anemia are higher.
06:10 So, another alarming finding of our studies is
06:14 that children who are overweight or obese
06:18 have a smaller chance of developing anemia.
06:23 Ah, okay.
06:23 So, their chances are smaller.
06:26 So, there are studies in the US that say
06:29 that this is because the iron store is better in their bodies.
06:33 And it's also possible that because they eat a lot,
06:36 they are able to eat meat and vegetables.
06:41 Ah, alright.
06:41 But of course, we also don't want children who are overweight or obese
06:48 even if you say that they don't have anemia,
06:50 but they are prone to other diseases when they grow up.
06:53 Yes, that's right.
06:54 So, overweight and obesity can cause other non-communicable diseases.
07:00 Not only when they are young, but also when they get old,
07:03 like diabetes, cardiovascular disease.
07:05 That's why we are encouraging our children to maintain
07:10 their normal body weight for overall health.
07:14 So, sir, what can be the side effects of anemia?
07:19 We are saying that 1 out of 10 school-age children in our country
07:23 have an anemia if we don't treat it.
07:25 Okay.
07:26 So, it's not just our breathing or our fatigue
07:31 when we move or do something.
07:33 So, other complications of anemia are like impaired cognitive functioning and development,
07:39 so more on the thinking of our school-age children.
07:43 So, it has a big effect on their school performance.
07:47 Their resistance to infection can also decrease.
07:50 And of course, it can affect their human capital development.
07:55 So, when they grow up, they may not be able to contribute
07:59 to our labor force properly.
08:02 So, that's why even if it's a mild public health problem,
08:06 we need to focus on it and when they are young, we can solve it.
08:12 Sir Kim, how does the government address this problem of anemia in our school-age children?
08:21 And what do you think needs to be done to address this issue?
08:26 Okay.
08:27 So, actually, we can do a lot.
08:29 We can capacitate our parents and guardians
08:33 because they have close contact with our school-age children.
08:37 We can teach them the right way to eat
08:39 or for example, to use food guides like Pinggang Pinoy or Menu Calendars
08:45 where they can see recipes that are easy to cook, cheap, and nutritious.
08:51 So, our Pinggang Pinoy and food guides can be downloaded on our website,
08:56 on DUST-FNRI.
08:58 And this is free.
09:00 So, another thing we can do, like what I mentioned,
09:03 is to support our existing government programs like PORPIS.
09:09 It would be better if we can expand and have more households covered
09:14 because PORPIS is not just providing financial assistance.
09:19 It also provides nutrition education to the parents,
09:22 encourages the children to attend so that they can learn
09:25 not only the basic English, math, and science,
09:29 but also the right way to eat.
09:32 We can also strengthen the education of regular consultations or check-ups
09:40 because we can confirm if they have anemia
09:44 and other complications that may result from this.
09:47 That's right, partner.
09:50 Sir Kim pointed out that we at DSWD, as you mentioned PORPIS,
09:54 our other programs, like feeding programs,
09:57 we make sure, like the food stamps program,
10:00 we don't just provide food, we make sure that the food we provide is nutritious.
10:05 So, it's really a two-pronged approach.
10:08 We address hunger, we also address malnutrition.
10:12 Because later, if you give them food stamps,
10:13 they'll buy only chichirias, only instant noodles.
10:16 They just need healthy and nutritious food.
10:18 Yes, and if you give the child money, they'll buy candy.
10:23 So, you cannot really trust them to buy nutritious food.
10:27 For the sake of the parents like me,
10:30 what are the foods rich in iron?
10:32 Are they really beef bones, liver?
10:35 So, for example, the foods that are high in iron
10:39 are our meats, like pork, chicken, and beef.
10:45 But again, we need to control this.
10:48 We need moderation, variety, and balance.
10:50 We shouldn't eat it all the time because it's a good source of iron.
10:54 -We should be more moderate. -Just be a meat eater.
10:57 Yes, we should complement this with the consumption of vegetables
11:02 that are high in iron, like malunggay,
11:04 alugbati, sweet potatoes, and pulitis.
11:09 So, those are the good sources of iron
11:13 that the mother can prepare or add or make a dish out of.
11:19 Is it true that green leafy vegetables are more nutritious?
11:24 Yes, we have that notion.
11:26 So, most of our green leafy vegetables are nutritious
11:30 because our vegetables are generally nutritious.
11:33 -Because malunggay is dark green. -Yes, it's dark green.
11:35 -You said it's very rich in iron. -Yes.
11:38 So, our vegetables are healthy,
11:40 but our challenge to our children is that
11:43 it's hard for them to eat vegetables
11:46 because of the presence of fast food
11:48 because it's convenient and easy to cook.
11:52 So, again, it's a challenge for our parents,
11:54 not just for us,
11:56 to feed our children a well-balanced diet.
12:00 I agree with what you said.
12:02 In my new program, "Health at Home,"
12:05 we also tackle nutrition.
12:07 And we teach the parents how to incorporate
12:10 green leafy vegetables in recipes for our children.
12:15 So, watch us every Saturday at 7 a.m.
12:19 here on PTV4.
12:21 -Our next guest is, of course, Sir Kim. -It's Sir Kim.
12:24 And in this other discussion,
12:26 can you give us details on your DOST FNRI Seminar Series
12:34 for July 3 to 4, 2024?
12:38 Okay. So, our Department of Science and Technology,
12:42 Food and Nutrition Research Institute,
12:44 is hosting a seminar series
12:47 where we share with the general public
12:51 new studies, information, and innovations
12:54 in food and nutrition.
12:55 So, this is our 50th DOST FNRI Seminar Series,
13:00 which is called the "Golden Years of DOST FNRI Seminar Series."
13:04 So, we invite nutritionists,
13:07 dieticians, food techs, scientists, media,
13:11 our partners in the local government unit,
13:14 our barangay healthcare workers,
13:16 and our barangay nutrition scholars
13:18 to attend this seminar series
13:21 because this is where we present the latest
13:24 in food and nutrition,
13:25 and we hope that this will contribute
13:28 to solving the longstanding problem of malnutrition.
13:33 Alright. Thank you very much for your time,
13:35 Sir Kim Irvin Protasho,
13:37 Science Research Specialist II of DOST FNRI.