ASSESSMENT OF THE NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF LOCAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TO

DETERMINE THE NEED FOR A FOOD SUPLEMENTATION PROGRAM

by

GROUP 5

Ali, Nasreen V.

Balmes, Russ Russell P.

Chin, Ayessa A.

Elguira, Eugine Jason D.

Hamid, Shermalyn R.

Ibañez, Giancarlo G.

Ilagan, Ralph V.

Lomboy, Jeffrie S.

Lu, Jorenz Leandro W.

Macalino, Yvette Anne B.

Mariano, Maria Cristina M.

Popen, Jonelth Dec A.

Santiago, Jonas G.

Tamayo, Lorraine Erika V.

Doctor of Medicine, FEU-NRMF, 2014

Submitted to the Faculty of the

Department of Community and Family Medicine

Institute of Medicine

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for

Research I

Far Eastern University-Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation

2014

Introduction

Malnutrition is highly prevalent in the Philippines, it is caused by several interrelated factors that

includes: health, physical, social, economic status and other relating factors of an individual (Daboné et

al., 2011; FAO, 2001). Distribution of food and how it is consumed by the populace have a corresponding

impact on their nutritional status. The leading nutritional problems in our country are Protein-energy

Malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies which predispose them to a certain nutrition and health risks

(FAO, 2001). Almost one in every three Filipino children from ages six to ten years old are underweight

and under-height for their age. The magnitude and severity of underweight school-age children were very

high in the provinces which then constrain school-age children from attending or performing well in school

(The Phil. Star, 2012). Children of this age range are regarded as vulnerable or at high risk due to

problems that arise during their growth development and survival. It is therefore important to assess the

nutritional status of these children in order to reduce the occurrence of malnutrition in our country.

A study presented the nutritional status of children from various places in Camarines Norte and

Palawan (Son et al., 2006). The data was collected from the Community-based Monitoring System

surveys and were arranged into nutritional categories as follows: severely undernourished, moderately

undernourished, mildly undernourished, normal nourishment, and over-nourished. Another research

compares the incidence of malnutrition of elementary students among the previous surveys to provide

monitoring of their economic status (Cerde et al., 2001). These few studies, as well as our research, used

anthropometric measurements as a tool for measuring nutritional status of the children. These studies

provided the effects of socioeconomic aspects that affect their nutrition, however, it remains a serious

concern regarding how their current nutrition affect their academic performance and lifestyle.

We proposed to determine the nutritional status of the Grade 3 students from West Fairview

Elementary School. To test this hypothesis, the researchers conducted a survey regarding the students’

nutritional status and body mass index. Laboratory tests were also done in the study to determine if there

are parasitic infections, which may affect the student’s health.

Methodology

This chapter will discuss the account of how we plan to conduct this study. Inclusive to this

chapter are the following: research design, description of research participants and locale, sampling

technique, research instrument, and statistical treatment of data.

Research Design

A school based cross-sectional study was conducted on a selected group of grade 3 students

from West Fairview Elementary School, Quezon City. Data were collected by means of questionnaires

and anthropometric measurements of the students. To evaluate the nutritional status of the participants,

we used the pie charts for the overall graphical representation of the collected data.

The data gathered will be used to compute for the Body Mass Index (BMI) of each participant and

it will be classified according to: severely undernourished, very undernourished, undernourished, normal,

overweight, very overweight or extremely overweight. Moreover, classifying the participants accordingly

will help us to evaluate their current nutritional profile.

Description of Participants and Research Locale

The study was conducted in West Fairview Elementary School, located in West Fairview, Quezon

City. To provide focus in this study, all 521 Grade 3 students are then grouped equally into 8 groups

consisting of 65 students. These students were grouped randomly regardless of their age, gender and

section. We will collect the data needed for the study namely; height and weight to compute for their Body

Mass Index (BMI) for nutritional evaluation.

Sampling Technique

Among 521 participants, 65 of those were chosen as a subject by following the stages of stratified

random sampling method. This method will aid us in determining the students’ current nutritional status.

Research Instruments

Since the participants are all minors, an informed consent was needed to conduct this study. It is

important that their parents or legal guardian will agree to the consent. The participants were given a

questionnaire to answer the information needed for the study (i.e. age, sex, date of birth, etc.).

All the data gathered from the participants will be confidential. The participants will go through

weight and height measurements to achieve their body mass index (BMI) permitting to their age. The

purpose of this is to classify these children/participants accordingly to the reference range of BMI. The

following participants who belong to the extreme borders of the reference range will need to undergo the

feeding program accordingly.

Statistical Treatment of Data

After collecting the height and weight measurements of the students as taken on July 31, 2014

we will calculate for body mass index (BMI) using BMI = weight (kg) / height (m) / height (m). Then, using

BMI guidelines as provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), we will categorize the students into

7 classes: severely undernourished, very undernourished, undernourished, normal weight, overweight,

very overweight, and severely overweight. We will further calculate the prevalence of each classification

within the total population and subpopulations as divided by genders male and female using the formula

as recommended by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prevalence = persons

affected with given health indicator / total population x 100. We will further qualify the data by graphically

displaying them in a basic pie chart and histogram in triplicate to show the proportions for total population,

male gender, and female gender.

Table: Archived male student data

Table: Archived female student data

Graph: Tabulation of total students for each statistical category

Graph: Prevalence of each statistical category for each student population

Reference:

1. Poor nutritional status of schoolchildren in urban and peri-urban areas of Ouagadougou (Burkina

Faso)

Charles Daboné1,2, Hélène F Delisle1* and Olivier Receveur1

http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/34

2. Nutrition Country Profiles by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

ftp://ftp.fao.org/ag/agn/nutrition/ncp/phlmap.pdf

3. Socioeconomic Determinants of the Nutritional Status of Children: An Ordered Probit Analysis

Michael David A. Son and Ralph M. Menchavez

http://www.pep-net.org/fileadmin/medias/pdf/files_events/CBMS_nov2006/Son-pa.pdf

4. Updating of Nutritional Status of Filipino Children of the Regional Level

C. M. Cerdeña,MCN; R. D. Lana,MStat.;W. L. Molano, MStat.;M. C. Chavez,BSFN & C. A.

Nones, BSMath

http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=917

5. Malnutrition affects school performance

The Philippine Star

http://www.philstar.com/health-and-family/2012/07/03/823707/malnutrition-affects-school-

performance

6. WHO BMI-for-age (5-19) Growth Reference Charts

http://www.who.int/growthref/who2007_bmi_for_age/en/

7. CDC Prevalence Calculations

http://www.cdc.gov/pednss/how_to/read_a_data_table/calculating_prevalence.htm