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Introduction: Stunting persists as a public health problem in the Philippines, affecting 30% of under-five children. This study aimed to identify the drivers of stunting in young Filipino children aged 6-23 months. Methods: Data were extracted from the cross-sectional Updating Survey conducted in 2015 by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST). Potential predictors of stunting, which were categorised into childrelated characteristics, feeding practices, maternal socio-demographic status and health practices, and household economic and food security status, were examined using descriptive and regression analyses. Results: Of the 2,275 children aged 6-23 months, 18.7% were stunted and 8.3% were severely stunted. The risk of stunting increased significantly among older children aged 12-23 months (relative risk ratio, RRR 3.04), males within 6-23 months of age (RRR 1.99), and low-birth-weight infants (RRR 2.19). Children born from teenage mothers (RRR 1.90), mothers with short stature (RRR 2.33), and mothers with low education (RRR 1.59) posed higher risks of becoming stunted relative to their counterparts. Mothers with >4 children (RRR 2.44), coming from the poorest households (RRR 4.27), having untimely introduction of complementary foods (RRR 4.44), and not meeting the minimum meal frequency (RRR 2.30) increased the risks of severe stunting. Conclusion: The study illustrated the multi-factorial nature of stunting among Filipino children aged 6-23 months old. Therefore, a multi-sectoral approach is needed to address the underlying factors of stunting among young Filipino children to help achieve the country’s nutrition targets by 2025.

Early initiation of breastfeeding, defined as breastfeeding within 1 h after delivery, ensures that the child will receive its first protection from the immunoglobulins found in colostrum. It also helps establish exclusive breastfeeding which is the optimal feeding practice for infants from birth to 6 months. The study aimed to identify the variables of breastfeeding initiation among Filipino children aged 0-23 months and to associate child's breastfeeding initiation with the child's breastfeeding practice during the first two years of life. The study was a cross-sectional analysis of the 8 th National Nutrition Survey (NNS) collected in 2013 which included a national data of 4,960 mother and child pair. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify the determinants of breastfeeding initiation. The association between breastfeeding initiation and the child's feeding practice at the time of the survey was tested using Chi square test at 5% level of significance. Results showed that mothers who gave birth to a full term infants (Adjusted Odds Ration [AOR] 1.9; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.19, 3.04), who had given birth more than once (AOR 1.2; 95% CI 1.00, 1.53) and those who had given birth in a public health center (AOR 1.5; 95% CI 1.08, 2.22) were associated with increased odds of early initiation of breastfeeding. Significant association was also found between infants' breastfeeding initiation and breastfeeding practices at the time of the survey. Factors affecting early initiation of breastfeeding were gestational age at birth, parity, method of delivery, place of delivery, and household wealth quintile. The study provided evidence that there is a need to improve promotion of timely breastfeeding initiation and for the government to strengthen its campaign on Mother-Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (MBFHI), setting goals that all health delivery facilities in the country are Mother-Baby Friendly certified.

Introduction: The majority of Filipino households experience food insecurity. Mothers and children are among the population groups suffering from poor diet quality. This study aimed to determine the extent of the association of household food security (HFS) to mothers’ and children’s dietary diversity score (DDS), and to identify the significant factors associated with meeting the DDS of these vulnerable groups. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional, population-based study utilising secondary data from the 2015 Updating Survey. From a total of 6,692 mother-child pairs, the association between HFS and meeting the DDS of mothers and children, as well as the potential predictors for meeting the DDS were tested using descriptive and logistic regression analyses. Results: The findings showed that HFS was significantly associated with meeting the DDS of mothers and children aged 6-36 months (p<0.001). The proportion of meeting the DDS among mothers and children was significantly higher in food-secure than in food-insecure households (20.7% vs. 14.4%). Furthermore, meeting the DDS decreased with increasing levels of food insecurity. Household food security status, education background, employment, child’s age, and wealth status were significantly associated with meeting the DDS. Conclusion: This study showed the extent of how food security was associated with meeting the DDS of mothers, children, and mother-child pairs, and the factors associated with meeting the DDS. Results can be used to strengthen the formulation of appropriate, evidence-based policies to address household food insecurity and low DDS among mothers and young children.