Anti-childhood obesity project launched in La Trinidad Central School

One of the organizations that encourages and helps young people to be catalysts of change in their respective communities is the UNILAB Foundation Ideas Positive. It holds a nationwide youth competition in search for innovative solutions that target health issues like malnutrition, hygiene and sanitation, mental health, maternal and child health among others.

Team Confihealth, a group of nutrition and dietetics students from Benguet State University is one of the Unilab Ideas Positive Run 7 national finalists. Their idea which is initially titled “Live Proactively; End the War on Obesity” primarily aims to promote proper diet and increased physical activities for better health and nutritional status. It is benefiting more than a thousand number of pupils, teachers and parents with focus on 50 identified elementary pupils that are overweight and obese in La Trinidad Central School, Poblacion, La Trinidad, Benguet. The said school is chosen to be the center of the project for it has the largest population and has the highest prevalence rate of childhood overweight and obesity cases among all elementary schools in the municipality.

The team’s project is later called Project Bakas with a remarkable tag line, “Bantay Kalusugan tungo sa Malusog na Kinabukasan”. The project provides regular assessment of nutritional status and dietary counseling, cooking demonstrations, series of nutrition and health education, and body and environmental care programs. Most importantly, it spearheads the Sayaw, Galaw, Hataw program wherein the team leads various dance exercises right after the school’s flag ceremony and recreational activities every Monday and Friday afternoon. All these activities are set to reach the project’s goal of creating behavioral change towards nutrition and health and to decrease the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in the area.

By the team’s project currently being done in the school, the pupils, teachers, and parents have gained awareness on the increasing trend of obesity and its consequences when not prevented or treated. The project is set to pursue for a six month duration but the team commits to still continue running the project until the end of the year as they continue to mentor children as new advocates for good health with the Confihealth Kids Club which they organized.

By Marites S. Bugtong