LGUs urged to protect residents from iodine deficiency disorders

The National Nutrition Council-7 urges local government units in Central Visayas to develop new policies or ensure enforcement of existing ones that support universal salt iodization (USI).

This call comes as the country observes Goiter Awareness Week in the last week of January.

The NNC-7 has stressed on the importance of these policies and for public servants to enforce such laws that would protect their respective constituents, particularly those who are pregnant or of reproductive age from iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs).

In a statement, NNC-7 has recommended policies that regulate the fortification of salt with iodine, and to ensure equitable access for all population groups particularly women needing iodine-fortified salt.

The statement also emphasized on the need to regulate the salt quality and content of products by food producers and distributors, and to strengthen nutrition program leadership and local nutrition committees.

Iodine is a trace element needed for the synthesis of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland. These hormones are important in the growth, development, and control of metabolic processes in the body.

Lack of iodine can lead to iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs) like goiter, as well as irreversible brain damage in the fetus and infant and retarded psychomotor development in children.

Dr. Parolita A. Mission, NNC-7 regional nutrition program coordinator pointed out that the most susceptible group for IDDs are women of reproductive age, whose neonates are at high risk of irreversible mental impairment if the women are iodine deficient before giving birth.

Mission said that another susceptible group is women providing breast milk to their children, as this may be the only source of iodine during the first six months of their children’s life.

“Salt is an effective vehicle for iodine and other nutrients as it is consumed at constant levels by the population. With this, universal salt iodization is a recommended primary prevention method against the risk of iodine deficiency disorders,” Mission said.

Mission added that developing and enforcing policies by the LGUs in a coordinated manner that support universal salt iodization is one way for our LGUs to protect pregnant women and women of reproductive age, and consequently promote good health in the next generation of Filipinos.

The World Health Organization (WHO) endorses the USI, which ensures that all salt for human and animal consumption is iodized (including salt for food processing), as a global strategy to eliminate IDDs.

The Philippines has adopted this strategy and institutionalized it through Republic Act No. 8172, An Act for Salt lodization Nationwide (ASIN Law).

WHO explained that the USI mandated by clear legislation and implemented successfully is an equitable strategy of reaching most of the population. The USI program can be monitored, allowing adjustments in the fortification level and making it more sustainable.

Eliminating the risk of IDDs among pregnant women and women of reproductive age through the USI, particularly through food fortification and dietary supplementation, is a nutritionspecific initiative that supports the desired outcome of the 2023–2028 Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN), which is reduction in all forms of malnutrition.

The PPAN is the country’s national policy framework, which has been developed since 1974. The document is aligned with the eightpoint Socioeconomic Agenda of the Marcos Administration, the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, and the long-term vision of AmBisyon Natin 2040 (Matatag, Maginhawa, at Panatag na Buhay), as well as sectoral plans and programs.

The NNC has identified Cebu and Negros Oriental as among the 34 priority provinces in the country, which require more nutrition interventions from various government and private stakeholders.

The identified areas have high to moderate levels of food insecurity, high magnitude of malnutrition, and high need for financial assistance.

To address this, LGUs have been called to implement national nutrition policies, develop and execute tailored nutrition programs and services, conduct nutrition education campaigns, and invest in infrastructure and facilities to enhance nutrition access, including hiring full-time nutrition personnel and creating nutrition offices in all city and municipal LGU in the country. -