Global healthcare leader Abbott, through its Growth Watch initiative, aims to create awareness on childhood malnutrition resulting in stunting in the Philippines.
According to the World Health Organization, child stunting refers to a child who is too short for his or her age, caused by chronic or recurrent malnutrition.
Based on data from the Department of Health, 1 in 4 children aged five and below are short for their age or stunted. Meanwhile, studies reveal that in the Philippines, 2 out of 3 moms are unaware of the long-term effects of stunting on childhood growth.
The Abbott Growth Watch initiative puts importance on this serious concern by empowering parents to screen for and recognize stunting in their children so that their nutrition will be improved.
Nutrition medical affairs for Abbott in Pacific Asia Dr. Jose Dimaano Jr. said that early identification of growth issues and quick intervention for children are important in the fight against stunting.
“This is why Abbott is taking a multidisciplinary approach in supporting parents by working with communities and healthcare practitioners to provide tools and information to spot the signs of malnutrition and take action,” he said.
As part of its efforts to reduce malnutrition, Abbott launched the Abbott Center for Malnutrition Solutions in 2021. The center, a collaboration between Abbott and external experts and partners, is focused on the identification, treatment and prevention of malnutrition for the most vulnerable populations in the world including children, aging adults and under-resourced populations.
Under the Growth Watch initiative, Abbott also established communities where moms can join to make it a habit to measure their children’s height and provide proper nutrition. Additionally, Abbott has tools and resources like the PediaSure Plus Growth Calculator, PediaSure Plus Height Chart, and the free growth assessment and nutrition counseling.
”Since its inception in 2021, Growth Watch has educated and reached more than 161,000 families, and the goal is to double the reach by the end of next year,” said Angelico Escobar, general manager of Abbott’s nutrition business in the Philippines.
”Abbott is driven by our mission to help children have a healthy start and reach their optimal growth. We know that malnutrition is complex and affects children’s growth across all socioeconomic classes. The work of Growth Watch is one of Abbott’s efforts to fight global malnutrition and to help children achieve their growth potential through measurement and proper nutrition.”
Discover more of Abbott’s growth tools and resources at https://www.family.abbott/ph-en/pediasure/tools-and-resources.html.
