Nature-based solutions (NbS) are strategies that utilize nature to address various environmental and societal challenges while simultaneously benefiting human-ecological systems. They are cost-effective and scalable approaches that have the potential to address climate change, support biodiversity, and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite these benefits, several factors challenge their widespread implementation, particularly in developing countries. This study aims to determine the essential elements needed to implement the NbS initiatives successfully in rural communities. Taking the case of Victoria, Laguna, this research conducted Key Informant Interviews with local stakeholders and policymakers and applied thematic and multicriteria analyses to evaluate their readiness, factors to be considered, and strategies for the successful implementation of NbS initiatives in the municipality. Results revealed that the locals have limited knowledge of NbS and utilizing NbS initiatives stood as a secondary priority, compared to more preferred gray infrastructure/hard engineering projects. The financing, enforcement, and knowledge components determined the readiness of Victoria for its NbS initiatives. In terms of the factors for the successful implementation of NbS initiatives, the most prevalent themes were the criteria for an inclusive, transparent, and empowering governance process, net gain to biodiversity and ecosystem integrity, and design informed by scale. Furthermore, the NbS initiatives in Victoria were observed to adhere to the IUCN Global Standard, with biodiversity net gain and economic feasibility as their strongest areas. In terms of strategies, local stakeholders placed substantial importance on its sustainability and mainstreaming in appropriate contexts, as well as on evidence-based adaptive management. Findings provided recommendations focusing on creating an NbS assessment mechanism, strengthening the existing NbS governance structure, information and education campaigns, and formulating proposals that utilize NbS to address other issues faced in the municipality, such as flooding and climate change.

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.

Using Froma Walsh’s Family Resilience Framework, this study explored the experiences of overseas Filipino workers’ (OFWs) families as narrated by adolescent children of migrant parents. Ten (10) Filipino college-level older adolescents (five were female) served as participants in an in-depth interview. Their narratives explored key family resilience processes using a Deductive Qualitative Analysis using various domains of family resilience (i.e., family belief system, communication processes, and organizational patterns). The study found that: (1) The family adjusts belief systems to accommodate unsettling realities of international labor migration; (2) Roles change in the family to compensate for responsibilities fulfilled by the parent before leaving for another country; and (3) Communication processes were strained, but family members serve as moderators to ease tensions and maintain a pre-migration relationship. This study concluded that the family resilience framework is a robust lens through which migrant families’ experiences can be understood. Families generally exert effort to maintain homeostasis and cope with migration’s psychological and social costs. A resilience-focused model for addressing psychosocial needs is proposed. Processes more apparent to the Filipino family and opportunities for future research are also discussed.

Food neophobia (FN) is the reluctance to eat novel foods. It peaks around the toddler and preschool years, a sensitive time for developing dietary habits. If this eating behavior persists, children are susceptible to acquiring lifelong unhealthy dietary habits, ultimately affecting their development. Hence, this cross-sectional study involved 88 parents or caregivers of children ages 2 to 5 to describe FN relative to nutritional status (NS) and diet quality (DQ) and identify factors affecting its development. Data were collected using a computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) online survey. Weight-for-height and height-for-age measurements were used to assess NS. While dietary diversity score (DDS) and Menu Eval Plus for DQ. The Child Food Neophobia Scale was adopted to measure FN. No significant associations were noted regarding NS and DQ. However, food-neophobic children had fewer intakes of legumes (p-value=0.041) and non-vitamin A-rich vegetables (p-value=0.048) and excessive intakes of phosphorus (p-value=0.002), vitamin A (p-value=0.027), and riboflavin (p-value=0.037). Snacks and discretionary foods are also frequently consumed as they are readily available and accessible. This behavior may probably be due to the innate preference of children for sweet and salty over bitter and sour flavors. Results warrant further research to develop interventions to address FN in children.

With the rise of video gaming trends within the Philippines, the risk of malnutrition related to escalated sedentary behavior and poor dietary habits may also occur. This research aims to describe the association between the video gaming lifestyle, dietary habits, and physical activity level (PAL) of university students aged 18-24. The study follows a descriptive study design and uses Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient to determine the relationships of the variables. After correlation tests, gaming addiction level was found to have a weak direct relationship with the frequency of consumption among all food groups (ρ = 0.138±0.047). Weak positive correlation was also discovered with excessive gaming and meal skipping (ρ = 0.184), self-reported loss of appetite (ρ = 0.070), and tendency to eat their meals in front of their gaming devices (ρ = 0.160). Furthermore, PAL is found to have a weak positive correlation with gaming addiction level (ρ = 0.074). Among the sample, excessive video game use was found to be related to all variables, whereas higher chances of becoming pathologic gamers may also imply a tendency in the participant’s increased consumption of caloric-dense foods, poor dietary habits, and moderate to high PAL.

Excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, alcohol, and caffeine is linked to unhealthy behaviors, including poor sleep quality. This study aimed to look at sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) and alcoholic and caffeinated beverage (ACB) intake and their effect on the sleep quality of selected night shift call center agents working in Mandaluyong City. A cross-sectional research design was used, and data were collected through an online questionnaire distributed to 247 qualified participants. Results showed that the most consumed beverage by the respondents was water, with an average amount of 1,187.66 ± 553.37 mL/day. They also habitually drank fruit juices, soft drinks, sweetened juice drinks, and whole milk. The respondents’ beverage intake exceeded the recommendations for both SSB and ACB. Furthermore, almost all (88.26%) of them are categorized to have poor sleep quality. Most respondents with poor sleep quality consume more ACBs (61.13%) than SSBs (38.87%). On the other hand, most respondents with good sleep quality consume more SSBs (55.23%) compared to ACBs (44.77%). This research contributes to the expanding body of information on the health impacts of SSB and ACB consumption. It emphasizes the need for nutrition-focused measures to minimize their intake and promote healthier alternatives.

This study aimed to assess the acceptability of arrowroot flour (Maranta arundinacea L.) in the production of salt bread (pandesal) in the country. Two experiments were conducted namely, pre-experiment and actual experiment. The pre-experiment had two trials in making pandesal wherein the first trial focused on producing traditional pandesal (T1, 0%) while the second trial used different percentages of arrowroot flour (T2, 20%; T3, 30% and T4,40%) to determine the optimum ratio with selected flours. The acceptability used a 9-point Hedonic scale wherein 9 is the highest (Like extremely) and 1 (Dislike extremely). Results showed that T1 had the highest general acceptability (7.8, ) followed by T3 (7.5) and both were labeled as ‘Like very much’ while T2 (6.8) and T4 (6.7) were both labeled as ‘Like moderately’. In terms of cost, T1 was the cheapest and T4 as the most expensive. While arrowroot-based flour pandesal is more expensive right now, it was found out to acceptable flour substitute in making pandesal. The use of this flour as alternative in producing bread can help address the problem of the country’s heavy dependence on imported flour. Result of this study and further studies on the use of arrowroot flour will support local farmers in growing arrowroot for other potential uses.

The issue of Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) in the Philippines has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and persistent social, environmental and agricultural problems. To address this concern, the involvement of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is explored by reviewing the local policies in the Philippines. Applications and recommendations on how human ecology can address the complex problem of FNS were then noted. This systematic literature review used a framework synthesis approach wherein the Australian National University (ANU) Transdisciplinary Framework was used to check if the stated policies, applications, and recommendations were aligned with the framework components, which are interactive, integrative, change-oriented, systemic, context-based, and pluralistic. This transdisciplinary framework is expected to promote policy change and development related to FNS. After that, 38 articles were included in the review. Upon the review, no local policies fit all of the ANU Transdisciplinary Framework’s components. Nonetheless, these policies mostly separately address food security and nutrition security. However, there are still no established responses to the concern of FNS as an integrated concept of food security and nutrition security. HEIs contribute to developing FNS-related policies by intensifying advocacy for integrating food and nutrition security and improving FNS-related research and programs.

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.