Consuming whole grains (WG) is essential in lowering the burden of non-communicable diseases; however, reports indicate poor intake. The study aimed to assess the influence of body mass index (BMI) and selected socio-demographic characteristics on the WG eating patterns of the teaching staff of a state university in Laguna. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 63 teaching staff aged 24 – 59. A food frequency questionnaire and BMI were used to evaluate the intake of whole grains and nutritional status, respectively. Over one-third (38.7%) of respondents were overweight, and their consumption of whole grains like brown rice, corn, wheat, barley, wild rice, quinoa, sorghum, and oats was reported as 1x a week to never. Boiled corn (63.49%), processed wheat, and oats were the primary types of whole grain consumed at least once a week during snack time and breakfast, with an approximate serving size of one cup/serving. No other determinants were associated, except for gender and oat intake. The study population considered whole grains to be nutritious, promote good health, and contain good carbohydrates and fiber sources suitable for persons with diabetes and heart disease. This information was mainly sourced from printed materials like books and journal articles (36.51%), supplemented by reports from both mass and social media (28.57%). The study observed a nearly nonexistent intake of whole grains. This highlights the urgent need to strengthen efforts to promote its intake to improve the quality of diets and address the increasing prevalence of overnutrition and noncommunicable diseases in the country. Additionally, the study suggests exploring the factors that hinder its consumption.

This paper examines the stakeholder-based insights on the most significant changes in local capacities and nutrition governance in the Province of Laguna resulting from the community-based Barangay Integrated Development Approach for Nutrition Improvement (BIDANI) implementation. Using the Most Significant Change technique, it monitored these social changes that have not yet been captured in the last two decades in the municipalities of Calauan, Nagcarlan, and Rizal. These changes were gathered through workshops with 113 barangay participants, followed by 22 key informant interviews from municipal governments. Results revealed that the major changes perceived by barangay participants include the improvement of technical capacities that enabled establishment and management of Barangay Management Information System, improvement of knowledge and skills in participatory planning process, and prioritization of nutrition improvement in local development. These are aligned with the resource-based changes identified by municipal informants. Combining these perceptions, the MSCs brought by BIDANI in the municipalities include the establishment of barangay databases that are accessible for various uses, development of Barangay Integrated Development Plans (BIDPs) that increased linkages and budget, and improved community practices with better understanding of nutrition. This change-based information can inform BIDANI and the partner municipalities in revitalizing its strategies, particularly in its Participatory Nutrition Enhancement Approach by improving its key components like community mobilization, life-cycle nutrition support, and collaboration across multiple sectors.

The Taal Volcanic Eruption in January 2020 posed significant social and economic challenges to the coastal municipality of Lemery, Batangas. This disaster emphasizes the need for targeted management strategies, particularly in coastal communities vulnerable to volcanic eruptions. This study aims to provide a comprehensive baseline for improving future volcanic disaster management by applying a systems thinking approach and integrating disaster readiness into land use planning and zoning to address interconnected risks and minimize vulnerabilities. The study used primary data from key informant interviews, supplemented by secondary data from government reports and academic literature. Using a phenomenological design, thematic analysis was used to generate themes on readiness, response, and recovery mechanisms of coastal communities and the factors affecting them. The findings identified the critical gaps in the municipality’s disaster preparedness, response, and recovery mechanisms. Significant findings were (1) total lack of preparedness, (2) individualized response efforts shaped by socioeconomic conditions, and (3) recovery processes that faced barriers from the COVID-19 pandemic, ineffective coordination, and poor resource mobilization. These challenges emphasize the need for a multi-sectoral and cross-boundary approach to disaster risk reduction. Developing an inclusive and context-sensitive disaster management framework can enhance the resilience of coastal communities, thus ensuring better outcomes for future volcanic hazards.

Research in human ecology and sustainability holds significant importance in addressing global challenges related to the environment, society, and the well-being of the current and future generations. There is an urgent need for a platform to inform new knowledge, practices, policies, and behaviors that contribute toward a more sustainable, resilient, and harmonious coexistence between humans and their environment. The Journal of Human Ecology and Sustainability (JHES) aims to publish interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research on all aspects of human-environment interactions, community development, and other fields of social science that link with the people, organizations, and government to achieve human-ecological security. This note, which summarizes the contributions in the first volume of the journal, provides a brief background of the transformation of the Journal of Human Ecology to JHES, the official academic publication of the College of Human Ecology, University of the Philippines Los Baños.

This study was conducted to assess the role of Butuanon River Watershed Management Board (BRWMB) in rehabilitating the Butuanon River in Cebu, Philippines. Data was gathered through key informant interviews with officials of the Board and a self-administered questionnaire for the members of the Board and was analyzed through descriptive and thematic analyses.Results showed that since the creation of the Butuanon River Watershed Water Quality Management Area (BRW WQMA) in 2014, the river’s biological oxygen demand (BOD) level has decreased. While the level has yet to meet the water quality guidelines of DENR’s Class D rivers, the Board’s initiatives like clean-up activities, information, education, and communication (IEC), and the relocation of informal settlers residing at riverbanks contributed to the improvement of the river’s water quality. The activities conducted by the Board strengthened the linkages with other stakeholders. The good working relationship among the stakeholders facilitated the convergence of their resources, making their efforts to rehabilitate the Butuanon River more coordinated and sustainable. Furthermore, Mandaue LGU, the chair of BRWMB, integrated its efforts in its Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) and the 10-year Action Plan of the BRW WQMA in its Butuanon River Rehabilitation Plan.Results revealed that the existence of BRWMB played a vital role in the Butuanon River’s rehabilitation, and such efforts are hoped to be sustained with the participation of the various stakeholders and formulation of policies to support all efforts of the Board.

Leveraging the increase in property values emerges as an innovative financing method, enabling property owners and developers to contribute to collective benefit. The special assessment tax or special levy is a land value capture tool used to recover the costs of government infrastructure projects. Despite its long-standing existence in the Philippines’ Local Government Code, it is underutilized and its potentials as revenue sources have not been realized. This qualitative study combines extensive literature reviews and semi-structured interviews, including a self-assessment scoring of government staff in the cities of Metro Manila, citing perspectives and experiences in land taxation to examine institutional challenges in utilizing the special assessment tax. Findings reveal that institutional, financial, and technical capacity problems have prevented its utilization despite existing legal mechanisms. Moreover, there is a noteworthy gap in understanding and application at the local level, as the concept of land value capture is yet to be mainstreamed in local public finance. The discussions aim to inform cities and municipalities about the untapped potential of the special assessment tax as a viable revenue source for local development and the regulation of urban growth. Additionally, the study advocates for the importance of building capacities in land-based financing. It emphasizes the need for support and improvements in the current institutional arrangements of land valuation to address socio-economic inequalities.

In the Philippines, approximately 13% of adolescents become pregnant, resulting in 180, 916 births to girls aged 10-19. The study aims to understand the driving factors and challenges of adolescent teenage pregnancy. It also aims to propose a strategic intervention and implementation plan to address the rising number of teenage pregnancies. It was conducted in the 12 barangays who has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Lucena City. A total of 103 conveniently selected teenage mothers in the 12 barangays served as respondents of the study. The study is a descriptive research that utilized the qualitative method. Data were collected from interviews and focus group discussions. It was revealed that the impelling causes of teenage pregnancy were social media use, natural causes, pornography, peers, parents, chores, poverty, materialism, and female enticement. The respondents identified several challenges in terms of their social lives, health, schooling, and finances. Challenges in terms of social lives include access to public health facilities, child rearing, self-care, assistance in parenting, and limited supplies and services in Barangay Health Centers. The educational challenges include education disruption, financial hardships, the need for alternative forms of learning, and support from partners and immediate family to continue education. Meanwhile, for economic issues, financial hardship, future education plans, and plans to secure well-paid jobs were identified. Lastly, for social issues, the thematic analysis revealed the following: negative acceptance from the family and the community, normalizing being pregnant at a very young age, and feeling judged and becoming the center of gossip. The developed strategic intervention program includes three approaches: healthy sexuality, a comprehensive teenage program, and a societal approach. Parents and adults discomforted with their sexuality family approach, consistent adult involvement for the child, healthy communities, media responsibility, and reaffirming the importance of values and involvement of religious and other organizations may be targeted.

Current research has revealed significant benefits of green space exposure (GSE) on psychological stress. However, few studies have explained the cumulative effects of GSE and how these effects vary across different demographic groups, such as gender and education level. This research aims to evaluate the long-term effects of GSE on psychological stress and heart rate variability (HRV) while examining how these effects vary across different demographic groups, such as gender and education level, utilizing Apple Watch data to provide a more objective measure of these effects. In a 6-week experiment, 43 college students were required to engage in GSE at least three times a week, each lasting no less than 10 minutes, based on their schedules. During the experiment, participants wore the Apple Watch continuously to collect physiological data automatically. This study demonstrates a significant reduction in emotional disturbance and notable changes in HRV amplitude following GSE, with variations observed based on gender and education levels. These findings underscore the substantial psychological health benefits of GSE.

The volcanic Molucca islands have provided the world with their precious cloves, which have been highly valued in medicinal properties for millennia. Cloves have antibacterial, antiviral, and analgesic characteristics. They were considered silver bullet cures in medieval epidemics and the early COVID-19 pandemic response. Cloves originated from Ternate Island, the center and regional trade hub of the Molucca Islands. Its cloves had reached Babylonia 4,000 years ago, marking its importance in global trade. Qualitative research was conducted on the 1775 Mount Gamalama eruption’s impact on indigenous knowledge development. To confirm the findings, I conducted field visits, key informant interviews, field observations, and a literature review. Tolire Lake is an apparent landmark in Takome village, which has a sacred white crocodile, a java plum hill, a lush forest, stunning landscapes, and an underwater mythical village. The residents are testaments to human resilience, preserving indigenous knowledge and turning it into disaster risk reduction tools. They built settlements on safer ground and designated parts areas for conservation-based tourism. In addition, modern science introduction enhances disaster early warning and alert systems and empowers indigenous communities. Understanding indigenous knowledge and wisdom is critical to building resilience and sustainability through disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts. Indigenous knowledge produces lessons in environmental protection, social justice, and economic growth. The world can learn from indigenous and scientific knowledge combined to sustain the island, its people, and its prosperity.

Local development planning remains a challenge for municipalities and cities in the Philippines due to the lack of personnel with technical planning capacities and poor database management systems amplified by the recent devolution policy and the COVID-19 pandemic. The need to address these gaps has given birth to the Technical Assistance Program on Human Settlements Planning (TAP-HSP) as a public service and extension program of the College of Human Ecology, University of the Philippines Los Baños. TAP-HSP provides capacity building and technical assistance to various planning institutions in the country and aims to make cities and communities safe, resilient, inclusive and sustainable. This paper explores the history, milestones, components and modalities of TAP-HSP, emphasizing its instrumental role in local development planning in the country. TAP-HSP offers different modalities and planning arrangements through its three components: Capacity Development for Planners, Practice of Profession, and Model Community/City for Sustainability and Resilience. Over the years, the demand for TAP-HSP services has remarkably grown that it has played instrumental roles in empowering local planners, molding future planners, bridging planning theories to practice, championing evidence-based, participatory, and inclusive planning, being a key partner for local development, and advocating for liveable cities and communities in local development planning. TAP-HSP’s relevance shall continue progressing with its sustained excellent program ratings and growing network of LGU partners, positioning it as a key player in local and national development and a promoter of inclusive and sustainable communities.