Winning against malnutrition through the first 1000 days

What is the first 1000 days?

The first 1000 days is the critical window of opportunity for a child’s growth and development.
It has three major stages: pregnancy, birth to 6 months, and the older stage of infancy and
toddlerhood. Ensuring the effective coverage of services and interventions for women and
children in the first 1000 days will prevent stunting and other forms of malnutrition including low
birthweight,
Why wasting,
is the first 1000obesity
days and micronutrient
critical deficiencies. of children and communities?
in the development

Proper nutrition in the first

1000 days will produce
significant impacts on a child’s
health and development, on
his/her productivity later in
adult years, and in the overall
economic development of the
community. A child who is not
well-nourished in the first 1000
days will become stunted in
his/her early years. A child
cannot recover height in the
same way he/she can recover
weight. More importantly,
proper nutrition in the first
1000 days is critical to the
cognitive and behavioral
development of every child.
 Children with severe deprivation in the early
years have 40% less brain mass than well-
nourished children. These children have poorly
developed temporal lobe that is critical to memory,
perception and comprehension, and language. In
addition, severe early-life deprivation shows the
reduced functioning of the ventral prefrontal cortex
that regulates emotional responses including fear,
anxiety and aggression.

In 2016, UNICEF Philippines estimated that

the country loses USD 4.5 billion annually
due to undernutrition. This is equivalent to
1.5% of the 2015 GDP. In addition, the USD
4.5 billion is almost half of the total 2019
allocations for DEPED, and is close to the
combined 2019 allocations for DOH and
DSWD.

What can Local Chief Executives do to WIN in the FIRST 1000 DAYS?

Learn from successful

models of programs
focused on the first 1000
days. The Quezon
Province achieved
improved nutritional
outcomes by investing in
the first 1000 days.

Establish mechanisms in the first 1000 days, including strengthening of structures and processes to
ensure the implementation and monitoring of first 1000 days-focused program at the barangay level.

Provide adequate financial and human resources for effective coverage of actions in the first 1000 days.
National legislations and policies including RA 11148: Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act,
Universal Health Care Act, Local Budget Memorandum 78, and DOH-DILG Joint Memo Circular on
PPAN provide legal support to nutrition and the first 1000 days.