July 26, 2019 - NNC Caraga, in coordination with the Provincial Nutrition Office of the Province of Agusan del Sur and in collaboration with the Department of Education – Agusan del Sur Division and Bayugan City Division, and in partnership with the Department of Health – Center for Health Development Caraga, conducted the Healthy Lifestyle Campaign Among Students and Teachers. Anchored to the 2019 Nutrition Month theme which is “Kumain nang wasto at maging aktibo…Push Natin ‘to!”, the healthy lifestyle campaign is a call to action for Filipinos to practice a healthy diet and engage in regular physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviours which go hand in hand. The annual campaign will serve as an avenue to help individuals make informed food choices and be guided on how to integrate physical activity in daily life; jump-start or reinforce nutrition advocacies and policies; and mobilize stakeholders to provide an enabling environment for a healthy diet and physical activity.
Provincial Nutrition Action Officer (PNAO) of Agusan de Sur, Ms. Laniebelle Angchangco graced the event and gave her message to the participants on behalf of the provincial nutrition council of the province. She emphasized the important role of the students and teachers, as well as school nurses, to become effective advocates of proper nutrition and physical activity and become “pushers” of health and nutrition. A Zumba exercise followed and was enjoyed by the participants before the start of the discussions. The NNC Caraga technical staff led the discussion on the main talking points of the 2019 Nutrition Month. The focus of the talking points is centered on the three key messages of the theme which is to have one hour or more of physical activity each day, reduce screen time to two hours or less per day, and eat the three food groups for variety each day.
Nutritionist-Dietitian II of DOH-CHD Caraga, Ms. Lovely Grace Camancho presented and discussed the Pinggang Pinoy, which is a new, easy to understand food guide that uses a familiar food plate model to convey the right food group proportions on a per-meal basis, to meet the body’s energy and nutrient needs of Filipino adults. Pinggang Pinoy serves as visual tool to help Filipinos adopt healthy eating habits at meal times by delivering effective dietary and healthy lifestyle messages. Ms. Sunshine Alipayo, Nurse V of DOH-CHD Caraga, presented and comprehensively discussed the topic on Non-Communicable Diseases, its causes, the adverse effects, and current efforts on battling NCDs.
In the afternoon, after the presentations and discussions, students, teachers, and school nurses engaged in an interactive open forum and exchange of best practices in their current efforts in health and nutrition. Dr. Susan Marañon, Medical Officer III of Agusan del Sur Schools Division gave the closing remarks, thanking all the participants and organizers of the healthy lifestyle campaign.
Author: NO I Raphael P. Ochavo, RN
