MANILA (September 11) — The Philippines is battling two nutrition crises at once: 43 percent of adults are overweight or obese, while one in four children remains stunted, according to the National Nutrition Council (NNC).
The figures, drawn from the latest National Nutrition Survey of the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute, underscore a widening “double burden” in which excess weight and chronic undernutrition coexist—sometimes within the same household.
Jomarie Tongol, officer-in-charge of the NNC’s Nutrition Information and Education Division, said adult overweight and obesity have become a major public health concern.
“Obesity is considered a disease, not only a risk factor for diabetes, cardiovascular disease or cancer,” Tongol said in a Radyo Pilipinas interview.
She attributed rising obesity to unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, inadequate sleep and genetic factors, but also pointed to what she called an increasingly “obesogenic food environment.”
Processed and unhealthy food is widely available, while online food delivery has made high-calorie, nutrient-poor meals easier to obtain, Tongol said. More sedentary lifestyles have further reduced opportunities for physical activity.
The trend shows why malnutrition can no longer be understood solely as a problem of hunger. The food environment, household income, feeding practices and access to health services all influence whether Filipinos face undernutrition, excess weight or both.
Stunting rate rises
At the other end of the nutrition crisis, stunting among Filipino children rose to 25.3 percent in 2025, from 23.6 percent in 2023, based on the survey’s updating report.
“That means one out of four Filipino children is affected by stunting,” Tongol said.
Stunting results from prolonged nutritional deprivation and can impair a child’s physical growth and development.
Among children aged 0 to 2, however, the rate declined slightly, from 22.5 percent in 2023 to 21.1 percent in 2025.
The contrasting figures highlight the challenge facing policymakers: reducing stunting while preventing unhealthy weight gain, often in the same communities and households.
Tongol also linked inadequate breastfeeding during the first 1,000 days of life to a higher risk of overweight and obesity among children.
The government’s nutrition strategy therefore focuses on the period from conception to a child’s second birthday, under the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition. This window is considered critical for preventing stunting, undernutrition and excessive weight gain.
Focus on first 1,000 days
The NNC is promoting exclusive breastfeeding, appropriate complementary feeding beginning at six months, sanitation and adequate nutrition for pregnant women and young children.
It also supports dietary supplementation programs, including the Department of Education’s school-based feeding program and the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s supplementation initiatives for children in Child Development Centers.
Pregnant women identified as nutritionally at risk, as well as children aged 6 to 23 months who are underweight or at risk of stunting, are among those targeted for supplementation.
Tongol cautioned against the belief that an overweight child is necessarily a healthy child. Childhood obesity can persist into adolescence and adulthood and raise the risk of noncommunicable diseases, she said.
The data point to a problem that cannot be addressed through individual advice alone. Alongside urging families to eat healthier and exercise, government programs must improve access to affordable nutritious food, strengthen early-childhood feeding support and make nutrition services more accessible.
Tongol encouraged families to use available government nutrition programs and adopt healthier habits, including limiting salty, oily, fatty and sugary foods, staying physically active, monitoring weight, and getting adequate sleep.
