Child wasting, a form of malnutrition indicating acute undernutrition, has significantly decreased in the Philippines, according to a recent study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

The study found that child wasting, defined as low weight-for-height, dropped from 8 percent in 2013 to 5.7 percent in 2018.

While this marks progress, the PIDS noted that the country did not meet its 2022 target of reducing wasting to 5 percent, leaving approximately 800,000 children affected by acute undernutrition.

These findings are detailed in the study “What Determines the Decline of Wasting in the Philippines?” authored by PIDS Senior Research Fellow Valerie Gilbert T. Ulep and Senior Research Specialist Lyle Daryll D. Casas.

Using data from the National Nutrition Survey by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, the authors identified wealth status, maternal nutrition, and children’s total energy intake as key factors in the decline.