- Are your children eating enough fruits?
According to the seventh National Nutrition Survey (NNS) conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, fruit consumption in school-aged children has been decreasing over the decades. Since 1978 a decline in the consumption of fruits has been noted, with the latest NNS reporting a cumulative drop by 50 percent.
Eating fruits is an essential part of a child’s nutrition, providing vitamins and minerals that are necessary for proper growth. With the increased vulnerability of school-aged children to infection and diseases, it is now more important than ever to include fruits to their everyday diet.
More pineapples for better immunity
Food-manufacturing company Del Monte Philippines notes that two servings (140g each serving) of Del Monte Pineapple a day may help stimulate the development of granulocytes—key components of the white blood cells —man’s natural line of defense against infection and disease.
The study by Dr. Leonora Panlasigui, published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, established a positive relationship between the consumption of canned pineapples and the development of a stronger immune response against bacterial and viral infection in school-aged children.
The study was conducted by randomly dividing selected school children into three groups. Two groups were given regular servings of Del Monte Pineapple with varying serving sizes (one serving and two servings, respectively). The third group served as the control and was not given any fruit. The groups that were given pineapples showed an increase in granulocyte count, which may have helped in decreasing incidences of infection, as well as in shortening recovery time.
Panlasigui says. “One serving is good, but the general consensus recommends two servings a day. It’s not that hard to build a fun, tasty habit with the kids that will benefit them in the long run. You just have to start.”
Panlasigui’s study inspired Del Monte to launch an advocacy to address the growing need for fruit intake in children. Aptly called the #DMPineappleADay, this campaign aims to raise awareness among parents all over the country about the importance of incorporating pineapples in the daily diet of their children.
“We’ve always lobbied for improvements in public health, and this advocacy holds a special place in our hearts because it’s specifically for the Filipino kids,” says Del Monte representative, Bianca Tiam-Lee. “Children should be free to play, explore and discover new things without the hindrance of sickness.
- Smart and Ateneo improve LGU’s health program
SAMBOAN, Cebu—When Dr. Ianne Jireh Ramos took over as Samboan’s health officer in January, patient records were written down in paper that are cut into quarters and deposited in one large box.
“Wala gali na staple ang notes kabahin sa usa ka patient. Ang basehan sa pagtambal mao na lang ang sulti sa pasyente kung kanus-a siya nakapa-checkup og unsa pud ang tambal nga gihatag sa iyaha,” [The notes that concern one patient were not even stapled together. To get a background on the condition of my patients, I only rely on what they tell me about prior check-ups and prescribed medications.],” she said.
Samboan today revamps the operations of its Municipal Health Office (MHO) by adopting an open-source health management system called SHINE OS+. SHINE stands for Secured Health Information Network and Exchange.
An initiative of wireless leader Smart Communications and the Ateneo de Manila University’s Java Wireless Competency Center (AJWCC), SHINE OS+ allows digital recording of patient notes; referrals to connected clinics, doctors and medical facilities; reminders through e-mail or text; and report compilations.
Samboan Mayor Raymond Joseph Calderon said the computerization of patient records will be a big help to the town and enable the local health personnel to provide them the services they need.
“We are implementing in Samboan a very important project with Smart and Ateneo. I thank Smart for all the programs it has initiated in the town,” he said during the launching of SHINE OS+ that coincided with the town fiesta celebration recently.
Smart, in partnership with Cebu-based start-up InnoPub Media, has earlier launched its Digital Tourism initiative in Samboan, one of the towns south of Cebu that have been benefiting from community ecotourism. A mobile app and e-book was developed to highlight key tourism areas all over the country, including Samboan, to make local travel a more enriching experience.
Smart, through its value brand, Talk ‘N Text, also launched its “Panalo ang may Alam Communities,” an initiative designed for existing communities geared towards mobile Internet education and business trainings. TNT, in partnership with Facebook, promoted the use of Free Basics, which allows free Internet access to web sites such as Facebook, Wikipedia and Jobstreet for Smart, Sun and TNT subscribers.
For its latest engagement, Smart hopes to help improve the delivery of health services in the locality.
Health management
With SHINE OS+, Samboan will not only have accurate health records, it is also forewarned of outbreaks and can keep track of diseases over time, Ramos pointed out.
“In the past, we had no way of determining which illnesses were rampant. Just a few days of using the system and I could already see that six out of 10 adult patients suffer from hypertension,” she cited.
Lawyer Maria Jane C. Paredes, Smart Public Affairs manager for the Visayas and Mindanao, said Samboan is the first town to implement the SHINE OS+ and she hoped other local government units would follow suit.
In Cebu some 22 towns have already been trained to use the online version of SHINE although they have yet to familiarize themselves with the offline capabilities, said Mae Niña Migabon, Smart public affairs officer. The system’s offline capability solves the connectivity challenges in some areas.
The program will be launched in the cities of Cotabato and Dumaguete. Some early adopters include Cordova in Mactan, Zarraga in Iloilo, and Barangay Tagpos in Rizal Province.
The updated SHINE OS+ allows encoding of records even when there’s no Internet connection and updates the information when the laptop or computer goes online. SHINE OS+ mobile apps are now available in Android and iOS versions.
A web site will be launched where developers can download and share improvements to the system’s source code and set up a marketplace for selling or sharing system plug-ins.
She said all medical facilities, from health offices to hospitals that are using SHINE OS+ are interconnected, and the goal is to move toward a Philippine Health Information Exchange linking all electronic medical records (EMR) systems.
Smart, AJWCC digitize Samboan’s health services. Leader in wireless Smart Communications, and the AJWCC have launched the SHINE OS+ in Samboan, Cebu, to help improve the delivery of health services to the municipality.