The purpose of 2019 Nutrition Month Celebration is to disseminate nutrition-related information through the focal theme “Kumain nang wasto at maging aktibo… push natin ‘to!” With this, all schools are enjoined to participate through meaningful activities to create greater awareness on the importance of nutrition among Filipinos as mandated by Presidential Decree 491.
What is Nutrition Month?
Presidential Decree 491 in 1974 declared that Nutrition Month shall be held every July to create greater awareness on the importance of nutrition among Filipinos. The law mandates the National Nutrition Council (NNC) to coordinate and lead the nationwide campaign.
What is the theme of the 2019 Nutrition Month?
The 2019 Nutrition Month theme is “Kumain nang wasto at maging aktibo… push natin ‘to!” (Eat healthy and do physical activity … let’s push this!)
The theme encourages everyone to advocate and realize the importance of healthy diets, increased physical activity and reduced sedentary behavior. Pushing the advocacy means that each and every one can contribute to better nutrition and physical activity for better health.
The Nutrition Month logo for the theme shows the balance that needs to be achieved through healthy diet as symbolized by the leaf of a vegetable and physical activity by moving figures of people.
What are the objectives of the 2019 Nutrition Month?
The campaign aims to catalyze actions to:
- promote the consumption of healthy diets, increased physical activity, and reduced sedentary behavior through activities of daily living among individuals and families;
- encourage the food industry including farmers, manufacturers, distributors and food establishments to produce and make available healthier food options; and
- advocate for the enactment of national and local legislation/policies and policies at the workplace, school and other venues that are supportive of an enabling environment for healthy diets and physical activity.
While Nutrition Month is observed during July, actions to achieve the objectives are expected to be sustained.
What is the rationale for promoting nutrition and physical activity?
- Physical activity and diet are two modifiable risk factors to non-communicable diseases.
- Regular physical activity protects against coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, hypertension, obesity, clinical depression, and other chronic disorders.
- Sedentary behavior (prolonged sitting) may be a distinct risk factor, independent of physical activity, for multiple adverse health outcomes in adults.
- There is some evidence that suggests that nutrition and physical activity have complementary and interactive effects on many physiological parameters including energy balance, lipid balance, and glucose balance. Improving both nutrition and physical activity can result to better health outcomes.
What are the key messages of Nutrition Month? a. Have ONE hour or more of physical activity every day.
- Reduce screen time to TWO hours or less each day.
- Eat the THREE food groups every day for variety.
What is physical activity?
Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure.1 This includes walking, sports, active forms of
recreation (zumba, yoga, etc.) and tasks in the house (cleaning, carrying, etc.). Exercise, on the other hand, is a form of physical activity that is planned, structured, repetitive, and purposive that aims to improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness.2 Exercise is performed during leisure time with the primary purpose of improving or maintaining physical fitness, physical performance, or health.There are four types of physical activity: aerobic, muscle-strengthening, bone-strengthening, and stretching.
- a. Aerobic activity, also called endurance activity, involves the use of large muscles such as those in the legs and arms. This activity is the type that benefits one’s heart and lungs the most. Examples of aerobic activities are running, swimming, walking, cycling, dancing, and doing jumping jacks.
- b. Muscle-strengthening activities such as pushups, sit-ups, lifting weights, climbing stairs, and digging in the garden improve the strength, power, and endurance of muscles.
- c. Bone-strengthening activities are activities that makes bones strong. In this activity, the feet, legs, or arms support the body’s weight, and the muscles push against the bones. Examples of bone-strengthening activities are running, walking, jumping rope, and lifting weights.
Muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening activities can also be aerobic depending on whether they make your heart and lungs work harder than usual. Running is both an aerobic activity and a bone-strengthening activity. - d. Stretching activities such as yoga helps improve one’s flexibility and ability to fully move the joints.
What is physical inactivity and sedentary behavior?
Physical inactivity refers to a level of activity that is lower than that required to maintain good health or lower than recommended guidelines. It is different from sedentary behavior which is defined as any waking behavior characterized by an energy expenditure ≤ 1.5 metabolic equivalents, such as when a person sits or lies down for long periods.
A person can do enough physical activity to meet the guidelines and still be considered sedentary if he or she spends a large amount of the day sitting or lying down at work, at home, school, or during leisure times. Examples of sedentary behavior include sitting or lying down while watching television or playing electronic games, sitting while driving a vehicle or while travelling, and sitting or lying down to read, study, write, or work at a desk or computer.
- 2019 Nutrition Month Celebration TALKING POINTS
- CONTENTS:
- What is Nutrition Month?
- What is the theme of the 2019 Nutrition Month?
- What are the objectives of the 2019 Nutrition Month?
- What is the rationale for promoting nutrition and physical activity?
- What are the key messages of Nutrition Month?
- What is physical activity?
- What is physical inactivity and sedentary behavior?
- What are the benefits of physical activity?
- What are the consequences of physical inactivity?
- What is a healthy diet?
- What is the relationship among physical activity, healthy diet and health?
- What is the current status of physical inactivity among Filipinos?
- What are recommended guidelines for physical activity?
- What actions can be done to promote healthy diets at various levels?
- How do we encourage physical activity in various settings?
- What are strategies to promote physical activity and healthy diet?
- What are policies and programs that promote healthy diet and physical activity?
- What are ways to celebrate 2019 Nutrition Month?
- CONTENTS:
Downloadables:
- 2019 Nutrition Month Celebration TALKING POINTS
- 2019 Nutrition Month Celebration – Streamer NNC DepEd- 4.5 x 8
- 2019 Nutrition Month Celebration – Streamer NNC DepEd- 8 x 4.5
- 2019 Nutrition Month Celebration LOGO
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