Child malnutrition remains a major concern in Central Visayas, regional nutrition officials said Wednesday, citing annual data that found more than 40,000 children in the region suffer from stunting.

Dr. Nino Archie Labordo, the regional coordinator for the National Nutrition Council (NNC), disclosed the results of the 2025 Operation Timbang Plus survey.

The data revealed that in addition to the stunted population, more than 7,000 children were classified as moderately or severely wasted, nearly 19,000 were underweight, and more than 12,000 were overweight or obese.

Cebu Province recorded the highest volume of malnutrition cases, with 20,664 stunted children, 3,141 experiencing wasting, and 8,672 classified as underweight.

Negros Oriental followed with 10,163 stunted children, 2,222 cases of wasting, and 5,291 underweight. Bohol recorded 5,137 stunted children, 819 cases of wasting, and 2,303 underweight.

Meantime, Siquijor reported the lowest figures in the region, with 404 stunted children, 52 experiencing wasting, and 168 underweight.

Among the highly urbanized cities, Cebu City recorded 2,463 stunted children, 516 cases of wasting, and 1,233 underweight. Mandaue reported 1,045 stunted children, 178 cases of wasting, and 544 underweight, while Lapu-Lapu had 778 stunted children, 224 cases of wasting and 525 underweight.

Overweight and obesity rates were also tracked, led by Cebu Province with 5,911 children, Negros Oriental with 2,660, Bohol with 1,702, and Siquijor with 195. Among the cities, Cebu City logged 1,154 overweight children, Mandaue had 380 and Lapu-Lapu had 210.

Labordo acknowledged that national and local governments, along with partner organizations, are continually working to reverse these numbers through an array of food security and health programs.

These interventions include the Dietary Supplementation Program, milk feeding for children aged 2 to 5, food assistance for conditional cash transfer households and school community gardens.