Publications by authors named "Josie P Desnacido"
Background: Anemia prevalence among women of reproductive age (WRA) in the Philippines was 25% in 2000, decreasing to 13% in 2018. To date, an in-depth assessment of the determinants associated with this decline has not been conducted.
Objective: To conduct a systematic in-depth assessment of the quantitative and qualitative determinants of anemia among WRA in the Philippines between 2008 and 2018.
Article Synopsis
- - Fiscal policies like taxes on sugary drinks can effectively combat non-communicable diseases, which are the leading cause of death worldwide, by encouraging healthier eating habits.
- - Taxes on unhealthy foods, if well-structured, may lead to broader dietary improvements across populations, but require solid evidence to support their implementation.
- - The article emphasizes the need for detailed national data on diets and food pricing to model the impacts of food taxes, with the Philippines as a case study to inform future policy design.
Article Synopsis
- The Philippine government implemented a tax on sweetened beverages in 2018 to combat rising obesity rates, but the final tax design was influenced by the beverage industry, making it less effective than initially proposed.
- A study used dietary and pricing data to estimate the health and economic effects of the proposed versus the implemented tax, finding that the implemented tax resulted in significantly lower reductions in beverage consumption, body mass index, health-adjusted life years, healthcare savings, and tax revenue.
- Although both tax versions aim to improve public health and save costs, the implemented tax will likely provide fewer benefits compared to the originally proposed tax due to industry influence on policy.
Aims: The nutrition and dietetics service in Philippine public hospitals was implemented by the Department of Health in 2016 to standardise the daily allowance and nutritional content of inpatient meals. Five years later, it is timely for the Department of Health to assess the quality of inpatient meals and mandated nutrition processes in areas such as staffing, food service, and outcomes monitoring.
Methods: A mixed-method sequential explanatory design was employed using (1) quantitative assessment through a facility survey (n = 193 hospitals) and (2) qualitative exploration of quantitative results through 6 focus group discussions (n = 36 hospitals).