Lowest in Visayas, yet 1 in 5 kids remain stunted in W. Visayas

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Nearly 1 in every 5 children under 5 years old in Western Visayas remains stunted despite the region posting the lowest prevalence rate in the Visayas, according to the 2025 Updating Survey of the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute.

The survey showed that Western Visayas recorded a stunting prevalence of 19.0 percent among children ages 0 to 59 months, lower than the national rate of 25.3 percent and the lowest among Visayas regions.

Western Visayas was also the only region in the Visayas classified under the medium public health significance category.

Data from the survey showed that neighboring Visayas regions recorded higher prevalence rates, with Central Visayas at 22.7 percent, Eastern Visayas at 25.6 percent, and the Negros Island Region at 30.9 percent.

Stunting, or being too short for a child’s age, is a sign of chronic undernutrition and can affect physical growth, learning, and long-term health outcomes.

In a statement, Iloilo Provincial Health Office chief Dr. Maria Socorro Quiñon welcomed the survey results, describing them as an encouraging indication of gains achieved through years of nutrition and health interventions across the province and the region.

She noted that Western Visayas is composed of five provinces and that Iloilo province, with a population of 2.08 million based on the 2024 census, accounts for nearly 43 percent of the region’s total population.

Quiñon said Iloilo’s status as the region’s most populous province means it has a substantial influence on Western Visayas’ overall nutrition indicators.

She said the result reflects the collective efforts of local government units, health workers, nutrition advocates, agricultural stakeholders, and development partners in addressing malnutrition and improving child health outcomes.

She also credited the support of Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. and various provincial programs focused on maternal and child health, nutrition, food security, sanitation, and access to essential services.

Despite the positive outcome, Quiñon emphasized that the province and the region must continue strengthening nutrition programs.

“A stunting prevalence of 19.0 percent still means that too many children are not reaching their full growth and development potential,” she said.

The survey showed that the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao recorded the highest stunting prevalence at 36.0 percent, while Central Luzon posted the lowest at 18.1 percent.

The DOST-FNRI survey covers children ages 0 to 59 months and serves as a key indicator of child nutrition and development across the country.

The stunting data form part of the institute’s nationwide survey conducted from April 23, 2025, to March 31, 2026.

Conducted every two to three years since 1989, the survey has tracked a generally declining trend in stunting among Filipino children under 5, from 45 percent in 1989 to 24 percent in 2023, despite a brief increase in 2015.

However, the 2025 national prevalence of 25.3 percent marks the first uptick in more than a decade.