This report presents the findings of the research conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) on leading noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). With the collaborative efforts of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), this research...

The economic and health recovery of countries in the Asia-Pacific region from the pandemic is hinged on the rapid and equitable deployment of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines. However, in the initial years of the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, highly unequal distribution of vaccines occurred...

About a third of Filipino children are stunted or chronically malnourished. However, there is a paucity of evidence on the socioeconomic inequalities of stunting in the Philippines. This study has two objectives. First, we discuss the wide range of determinants that explain the large...

The COVID-19 pandemic, and lockdown measures taken to control its spread, brought economies to a halt, turning the public health crisis into an economic one. Though government responses, such as labor and social welfare protection programs, were similar for recent economic crises like the Global...

To examine whether current strategies and investment are directed towards cost-effective interventions, we reviewed public expenditures on nutrition (Annual Investment Plans [AIPs] and Gender and Development [GAD)] budgets) and evaluated implementation of the Philippine Plan of Action for...

Many non-communicable diseases (NCDs), while preventable, are caused by modifiable behavioral risk factors which include harmful consumption of alcohol, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and unhealthy diet. Tobacco use has been one of the biggest public health threats linked with NCDs killing...

The universal health care (UHC) law mandates that all Filipinos should have access to essential primary care services with a focus on preventive healthcare. As plans are being made by the government to map out a comprehensive outpatient benefit package covering primary care, it would be a worthy...

Socioeconomic disparities run deep in the Philippines, but the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these inequities. Globally, there is a renewed sense of urgency to break these inequities and place social justice at the front and center of the post-COVID recovery. Social justice is about...