Child Wasting Drops in Philippines, Gaps Remain

Child wasting in the Philippines has declined significantly over the past decade, but the country still fell short of its 2022 target, leaving hundreds of thousands of children vulnerable to acute undernutrition, a new government-backed study shows.

The prevalence of wasting — defined as low weight-for-height and a marker of acute malnutrition — dropped from 8% in 2013 to 5.7% in 2018, according to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

Despite the improvement, the rate remained above the country’s goal of reducing wasting to 5% by 2022, with an estimated 800,000 children still affected.

The findings are from the study “What Determines the Decline of Wasting in the Philippines?” authored by PIDS Senior Research Fellow Dr. Valerie Gilbert T. Ulep and Senior Research Specialist Lyle Daryll D. Casas.

“Our analysis shows that improvements in economic conditions, maternal nutrition, and total energy intake have driven the reduction in child wasting,” the authors wrote.

Using data from the National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), the researchers identified key contributors to the decline: household wealth, maternal nutrition, and children’s caloric intake.

Together, these three factors accounted for 44% of the reduction in wasting between 2013 and 2018.

“Sufficient financial resources give the children an increased advantage of optimal nutrition by ensuring access to healthcare services and adequate food,” Ulep and Casas noted.

They found that the children of underweight mothers were more likely to suffer from wasting, emphasizing the importance of maternal health in tackling childhood malnutrition.

“Children of underweight mothers tend to have lower weight-for-height Z-scores, making them vulnerable to acute undernutrition,” the study stated.

While higher energy intake among children was linked to reduced wasting, the authors said dietary quality mattered even more than quantity.

“For wasting, it is also important to note that the diversity of diet (quality), more than the quantity, as evidenced by the total energy intake, is more important,” they explained.

Between 2013 and 2018, the Philippine economy expanded by an average of 6.6% annually, while poverty rates declined—factors that likely improved household access to food and healthcare.

The study also credited government programs such as the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act or First 1,000 Days Law, passed in 2018, for prioritizing nutrition and health in critical stages of child development.

Still, wasting remains one of the top five contributors to disease burden among children under five, accounting for 3.3% of total disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in that age group.

The authors warned that disease and weak nutrition interventions could blunt the benefits of economic and food security gains.

They also acknowledged data limitations, noting that the study did not include other key determinants such as childhood illness, water and sanitation access, or breastfeeding and feeding practices.

Ulep and Casas called for continued investments in maternal and child health, particularly in primary care and preventive interventions.

“Sustaining public efforts for maternal and child characteristics including the underlying determinants such as socioeconomic characteristics are important in further reducing the wasting prevalence in the country,” they concluded.