KORONADAL CITY, SOUTH COTABATO- The prevalence of undernutrition among children aged 0-59 months in South Cotabato has dropped from 1.91% or 1,746 children in 2022 to 1.86% or 1,710 children in 2023.
This was highlighted in the recent State of the Children’s Address delivered by Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo, Jr. Governor Tamayo also noted a decline in the prevalence rate of stunted and severely stunted preschoolers, which went from 3.04% in 2022 to 2.88% in 2023.
According to the data, these children are identified as having insufficient height for their age. Meanwhile, the percentage of wasted and severely wasted children—those who are underweight for their height—also showed a decrease, from 0.55% in 2020 to 0.44% in 2023.
As a result of these improvements, the province was awarded the Green Banner Award consecutively from 2021 to 2023 and received the prestigious Crown Award in 2024. These accolades signify the success of South Cotabato’s nutrition programs in improving the nutritional status of children across the province.
