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Tag: Department of Health

  • Abbott’s Growth Watch Empowers Parents to Beat Childhood Stunting

    Abbott’s Growth Watch Empowers Parents to Beat Childhood Stunting

    • Childhood stunting is a health issue in the Philippines, and 2 in 3 moms are unaware of the long-term effects of stunting on childhood growth

    • The Growth Watch initiative aims to accelerate efforts to help parents identify children’s

    growth issues early, seek treatment and prevent malnutrition

    • Abbott is banding with communities to raise awareness, and offer online tools, educational resources, nutrition assessment and counselling to promote childhood growth

    MANILA, Philippines, 6 December 2023 — Global statistics show childhood malnutrition is still a persistent health burden, including in the Philippines.1 According to the Department of Health, 1 in 4 children aged five and below are short for their age or stunted. 2 Abbott is increasing awareness and working together with mom celebrities and communities to tackle stunting among children in the Philippines.

    Abbott’s Growth Watch initiative shines a light on childhood stunting, a form of malnutrition. It aims to empower parents to screen for and recognize stunting in their children so that they can improve their children’s nutrition, if needed.

    Stunting can challenge a child’s development, impact their overall health and limit their future potential. Children affected by stunting can be at risk of significant immune deficiencies, compromised cognitive function, behavioral problems, diminished bone health, and decreased muscle mass.3 , 4 ,5 , 6 The Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition 2023-2028 identified poor feeding practices and low nutrition literacy among the causes of malnutrition in the country.7 Additionally, 2 in 3 Filipino moms don’t recognize stunting as an important child development issue.8

    “There is a clear need to educate parents on the prevalence and impact of childhood stunting on growth and development,” explains Dr. Jose Dimaano Jr., nutrition medical affairs director for Abbott in Pacific Asia. “Early identification of growth issues and quick intervention for children found to be at risk of nutrition deficiency can have a profound impact on 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.”

    —more—

    In collaborating with celebrity moms Chesca Kramer, Nadine Samonte, Divine Lee, Nina Corpuz, influencers and online mom communities, Abbott intends to increase awareness of stunting and support parents with tools and educational resources that can help children reach their full growth potential.

    ”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.”

    In 2021, Abbott launched the Abbott Center for Malnutrition Solutions, an initiative to reduce malnutrition. 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. The Growth Watch initiative also contributes toward Abbott’s 2030 Sustainability Plan goal to transform care for malnutrition, chronic and infectious diseases.

    As part of the Growth Watch initiative, parents and guardians are invited to join mom communities to establish the habit of measuring their children’s height, and provide proper nutrition to safeguard the growth, well-being and development of children across the country. Tools and resources available include:

    ● PediaSure Plus Growth Calculator

    ● PediaSure Plus Height Chart

    ● Free growth assessment and nutrition counseling

    Nutrition plays a crucial role in addressing malnutrition and stunting challenges. Addressing undernutrition early can help mitigate growth issues and ensure children reach their full developmental capacity. For children who do not get enough nutrients through food alone, nutrition supplements, such as PediaSure Plus, can help fill some of the gaps. The oral nutritional supplement, recommended by doctors, is formulated with 37 key growth nutrients including natural vitamin K2 and arginine to support 1.5 times faster growth in 8 weeks and strong bones.6

    For more information on the growth tools and resources, visit https://www.family.abbott/…/tools-and-resources.html.

    For free growth assessment and nutrition counseling, register online or by calling Abbott’s

    Careline – Metro Manila: (02) 8995-1555 and PLDT toll free hotline: 1-800-10-995-1555.

    Reference:

    Lariza Garcia

  • Shopee and the Department of Health Team Up to Encourage Filipinos to Get Vaccinated

    Shopee and the Department of Health Team Up to Encourage Filipinos to Get Vaccinated

    Through this partnership, Shopee and the Department of Health aim to raise awareness on the importance of COVID-19 vaccination through education

    Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, partners with the Department of Health (DOH) to promote education about COVID-19 vaccines through in-app and social media initiatives. As the Philippines aims to vaccinate 70% of its population within three to five years, this partnership between Shopee and DOH augments the concerted effort of the private sector and local government units to encourage Filipinos to get vaccinated and protect themselves and their loved ones against COVID-19.  

    While the local government rolls out COVID-19 vaccination programs, the vaccine hesitancy rate among Filipinos continues to increase, going from 47% in January 2021 to 61% by the end of the first quarter. They remain resistant to the vaccine due to three key  reasons: concerns about potential side effects, uncertainty about efficacy, and skepticism.

    Martin Yu, Director at Shopee Philippines, said, “Shopee is honored to partner with the Department of Health to educate Filipinos on the importance and benefits of vaccination. Through our collaboration with DOH, we can provide the community with accurate and science-backed vaccine information. With proper education, we aim to raise the public’s awareness and hopefully encourage more people to get vaccinated.”

    Beverly C. Ho, MD, MPH, Director IV, at Health Promotion Bureau DOH, said, “This partnership symbolizes what we, in the Health Promotion Bureau, want to do—meet people where they are and make living healthy easy. That’s why we are thankful to use Shopee’s platform, one that effectively reaches and engages millions of Filipinos, to make RESBAKUNA reach a wider audience. The immense potential this partnership holds, not only in increasing vaccine confidence but in improving overall health literacy among Filipinos, truly excites us.”

    Starting this month until August, users can learn more about vaccines’ safety and effectiveness from DOH and World Health Organization representatives. On June 23, 9:00 PM, users can watch a discussion on “Fake vs Fact on COVID-19 Vaccine Safety and Efficacy” on Shopee Live. Shopee will post helpful information about the vaccines on its official social media pages. A separate microsite will also be available on the Shopee app. 

    Visit https://shopee.ph/m/resbakuna-kasangga-ng-bida to stay updated on Shopee’s initiatives against COVID-19. 

    Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play. 

    REFERENCE:

    Paulo Oga

    PH Marketing | Public Relations, Media Relations

    Mobile/ Viber/ Whatsapp +63 917 650 1835

    Address 15F Asian Century Center, 27th St. corner 3rd and 4th Ave., BGC, Taguig, PH 1634

  • Durex calls for inclusivity and acceptance

    Durex calls for inclusivity and acceptance

    During the recently held Pride Month, Durex proudly joined the LGBTQIA+ community in their shout for inclusivity and acceptance. Continuing its mission to protect every Filipino from the threats of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV and AIDS, Durex underscores the importance of using protection during sexual intercourse. To achieve this, they aim to make condoms accessible to Filipinos’ education and awareness initiatives such as school tours and social media and influencer campaigns. This has become ever more relevant as the Philippines has become the country with the fastest growing HIV cases, with 35 cases reported per day in 2019 according to the DOH.

    Towards this end, Durex strengthens its support to the LGBTQIA+ community, which has seen a high infection rate year on year. And for the month of June, Durex took Pride by sharing love and care for all and by removing dated notions and outmoded definitions of LGBTQIA+ sex, to show there’s really no one way to own your sexuality.

    Simply put, Durex aims to show people that they should never feel confined and intimidated by how others define gay and lesbian sex, and that their ways are also truly valid. Each one of us should be aware of our own rights as individuals and must have love and respect for one another’s choice.

    Hence, the brand came out with the timely campaign message ‘No One Way, Love All Ways’, which was the rallying cry during the recently concluded Durex Online Pride Party hosted by Becky Nights. This fun and exciting party featured several games and activities, including interviews with special guests TonyToni, Slick Rick, and Sam YG of Boys Night Out, Gameboys’ Elijah Canlas, Miss International Queen 2012 Kevin Balot, LGBTQIA+ Advocate Justin Contemprato, and Content Creator Jake Perez. Viewers of the Online Pride Party were also treated to special performances by celebrity impersonators Brigiding, Popstar Bench, and Precious Paula Nicole.

    “One of the best ways to show our support to the LGBTQIA+ community is to make each and every one of them feel that they are loved and accepted”, Durex Philippines said in a statement recently. “It is equally important that their feelings are valued and embraced, and that we don’t dictate to them how they should think and feel.”

    With the ‘No One Way, Love All Ways’ message, Durex also sets out to enjoin everyone to continue the fight of the LGBTQIA+ community long after Pride Month – in solidarity and in togetherness. Because as prejudice, preconceptions, and HIV cases continue to rise, the march must simply continue on!

    REFERENCE:

    John Paulo Ondra Caparros

    Public Relations Department

    Strategic works, Inc.

    +638937472 | +639173068591

    john.caparros@stratworks.ph

    2nd Floor Zaragoza Building, 102 Gamboa Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City PH