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Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) - Call for papers!

Some Socioeconomic Determinants of the Nutritional Status of Pre-school Children in Five Rural Barangays of Batangas and Laguna

(Philippines), Master of Science in Applied Nutrition (University of the Philippines Los Baños)

Thesis Abstract:

The study determined the extent of malnutrition among pre-school children; evaluated the relationship of socioeconomic variables such as income, occupation of parents, household size, food expenditure, educational attainment of parents, and food production to the nutritional status of pre-schoolers; and examined the relationship of environmental sanitation and its individual categories to the nutritional status of pre-schoolers.

A total of 595 randomly selected pre-schoolers and their parents in five barangays (villages) of Batangas and Laguna were surveyed. Secondary data from the benchmark survey of the University of the Philippines Los Baños Nutrition Improvement Model (NIM) Project in June 1987 Operation Timbang (OPT) report were also used. Frequency distributions, percentages, arithmetic means, chi-square test, and simple correlation were used in analyzing the data.

Results showed that the majority of the pre-school children were malnourished in varying degrees. Parents had low educational attainment and most of the households belonged to the low income category. Fathers were mostly mechanics, drivers, laborers, or were engaged in similar jobs. Mothers were mostly part-time housewives. The mean household size was rather large at 6.7. Food expenditure per week averaged P71.20. A number (45.9%) of households were engaged in food production activities.

Environmental conditions revealed that households had toilets of different types, with the open-pit type being predominant. Likewise, cesspool type of kitchen sewage was very commonly used. Most households just dumped garbage in the vicinity.

Clay jars were usually used for water storage and artesian wells were the most common source of drinking, washing, and bathing water.

Significant relationships were found between the children's nutritional status and their parents' educational attainment, household size, food expenditure and environmental sanitation, specifically the type of toilet, source of water for drinking and general use. water storage/container, type of kitchen sewage, and garbage disposal.