Research Utilization

WHO celebrates 20th Breastfeeding Week

The World Health Organization will be celebrating its 20th Breastfeeding Week on August 1-7, 2012. This event is conducted yearly to recall what has happened in the past 20 years on infant and young child feeding (IYCF); celebrate successes and achievements nationally, regionally and globally and showcase national work at global level; assess the status of implementation of the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding (GS); call for action to bridge the remaining gaps in policy and programmes on breastfeeding and IYCF; and draw public attention on the state of policy and programmes on breastfeeding and IYCF.

Breastfeeding is the best way to provide newborns with the nutrients they need. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding until a baby is six months old, and continued breastfeeding with the addition of nutritious complementary foods for up to two years or beyond.¹

What is the Global Strategy?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) jointly developed and launched the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding (GS) in 2002 reaffirming the four Innocenti targets set in 1995, and setting additional targets. The GS has identified a clear need for optimal infant feeding practices in reducing malnutrition as well as poverty. It is based on a human rights approach and calls for the development of comprehensive national policies on infant and young child feeding. It provides guidance on how to protect, promote and support exclusive breastfeeding for first six months, and continued breastfeeding for two years or beyond together with adequate, appropriate and indigenous complementary feeding starting from the age of six months.¹

For its part, The Zamboanga Consortium for Health Research and Development (ZCHRD) through the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) encourages health researchers to submit capsule proposals on Maternal and Child Health issues for possible funding under the Pfizer PEER Health Research Grant. A ceiling of 200,000 pesos will be given to accepted proposals. A series of FREE training on research proposal writing, and research ethics. Mentors will also be provided for beginning researchers.

Capsule proposals may be sent to the consortium for screening through Mr. Ricardo J. Apolinario III at Zamboanga Consortium for Health Research and Development, DOST IX Compound, Capt. F. Marcos St. cor. Gen Alvarez St., Pettit Barracks, Zamboanga City 7000 with telephone numbers Tel No. (062) 991-1024 || TeleFax (062) 992-1114 Website: region9.healthresearch.ph or E-mail us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. || This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Forms and templates are available for download at http://region9.healthresearch.ph/index.php?option=com_phocadownload&view=section&id=5:zchrd-research-proposal-guidelines

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¹World Breastfeeding Week Org., 20th World Breastfeeding Week Understanding the Past-Planning the Future Celebrating 10 years of WHO/UNICEF's Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. 2012. Available at http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/index.shtml [online] Accessed [July 31, 2012]

PNHRS aims to Sustain Research Partnerships for Better Health on its 6th year PNHRS Week Celebration

With over 600 participants from the 17 regional research consortia will once again converge at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel on August 9-10, 2012 for the 6^th Philippine National Health Research System Week Celebration. The gathering of health researchers and research enthusiasts alike at the CCP Complex, Pasay City will signify their support in this year's theme: Sustaining Research Partnerships for Better Health.

This conjunction will allow consortia and committee chairs to meet their regional counterparts to learn from each other, share information and experiences, raise their concerns, and contribute research-based solutions to health issues, among others.

Aside from the convergence of regional consortia, Consortia Exhibit Contest, Parallel Sessions of Regional Researches for the Paper & Poster Presentation Contests for both Student and Professional Categories. The winners of the PCHRD-Gruppo Medica Award for Undergraduate Thesis in Herbal Medicine will also be recognized on the 3rd day of the Celebration. For more information, please contact PNHRS secretariat at telephone numbers: (02) 8377534 or (02) 8377537 or visit PNHRS website at http://www.healthresearch.ph

PNHRS Week is held annually on the second of week of August by virtue of Proclamation No. 1309 signed in 2007.

ZCHRD conducts Health Research Agenda Setting

The Health Research Consortium in Zamboanga Peninsula conducted a Research Agenda Setting Workshop for 2012 to 2014.

The consortium chair's domicile sponsored the said event at their LRC conference room at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University. The first day commenced with the usual Opening Ceremonies. Fr. Anotnio F. Moreno, President of the Ateneo welcoming the participants coming from the Academe, NGO's, and the Regional Offices of the Department of Health and the Commission on Higher Education.

The workshop aimed at the 1) Formulation of the ZCHRD Research Priority Agenda based on the DOST-PCHRD NUHRA, DOH R&D framework, and the CHED's National Higher Education Research Agenda-2 for 2009-2018; 2) Equip and provide ZCHRD member institutions an avenue to plan, implement programs, and activities that are sustainable to strengthen Regional R & D networks; and the 3) Harmonization of various R&D activities among ZCHRD members and partners.

The first day (June 18) commenced with the usual Opening Ceremonies. The presentation of the Health Research status in Zamboanga Peninsula by Dr. Agnes Mabolo and the DOST-PCHRD’s NUHRA by Ms. Annie Catameo gave the participants points to ponder on during the consultation facilitated by Dr. Grace Rebollos right after. The afternoon session was used for brainstorming and clustering of information culled-out from the consultation made in the morning. The participants were grouped into five. Each group selected a team leader, secretary, and rapporteur for each small group. They were then asked to brainstorm to identify and then write on Meta cards priority R&D concerns/topics/ areas based on inputs from the presentations made. The participants were then requested to categorize and synthesize them and later on report to the whole group on the most common issue and those, which are different. The workshop, on the second day, resulted in the development of the Regional Unified Health Research Agenda for 2012-2014 as follows:

1. Health spending patterns
2. Evaluation of existing health programs
3. Governance
4. Mental health
5. Environmental
6. Quality health care
7. Evaluation of health facilities
8. Research culture
9. Health research management
10. Food security
11. Non communicable diseases
12. Infectious diseases
13. ICT

The basis for determining the said unified research agenda were based on 4 criterion:

1. It affects mortality and morbidity
2. Unmet needs
3. Emerging diseases
4. Availability of resources (expertise and facilities)

The result of this Agenda setting will be published in a brochure along with the proposal writing guide, templates, and other materials in writing research proposals.

For more information on the activities of the consortium, interested researchers may reach us through Mr. Ricardo J. Apolinario III at Zamboanga Consortium for Health Research and Development, DOST IX Compound, Capt. F. Marcos St. cor. Gen Alvarez St., Pettit Barracks, Zamboanga City 7000 with telephone numbers Tel No. (062) 991-1024 || TeleFax (062) 992-1114 Website: region9.healthresearch.ph or E-mail us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. || This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

FNRI survey results - Filipino eats less veggies today

Based on the food consumption survey conducted by DOST Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) in 2008, the average Filipino eat less vegetable. Results also showed that from 145 grams of vegetables per day in 1978, consumption decreased to 110 grams in 2008, a decline of 35 grams of vegetable consumption within the past 30 years.

Among the lowest consumers of vegetables are regions CALABARZON and ARMM with 92 grams consumption of vegetables per person in one day while CAR has the highest consumption with 169 grams.

Another reason for the lesser consumption of vegetables was revealed in an earlier study of FNRI in 2005. The results showed that Filipino considers the price of the vegetables, contamination from pesticides and the want of knowledge on the benefits derived from them.

With this prevailing decrease on vegetable consumption, the National Nutrition Council (NNC) celebrates Nutrition Month for 2012 with the theme “Pagkain ng gulay ay ugaliin, araw-araw itong ihain.” This year’s celebration aims to increase vegetable consumption as part of a healthy diet to address micronutrient deficiencies and non-communicable diseases; promote vegetable gardening as a source of additional food and income; and increase demand for vegetables to help local vegetable farmers.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), the recommended amount of vegetable and fruit intake is at the average of 400 grams each day. This serving may help prevent non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity, as well as prevent and alleviate several micronutrient deficiencies, especially in our country. (DOST IX Press Release)