StrengtheningtheCollaboration of Parents and Teachers in Improving the Nutritional Status of Underweight Children of the Magroyong Elementary School Recipients in its School-Based Feeding Program

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

According to the World Health Organization, malnutrition accounts for 54% of child mortality worldwide. An impact evaluation study conducted by the Philippine Institute for Developing Studies in 2016 recommended that the government address important implementation challenges, which include increasing the budget per child for administrative and monitoring purposes. In addition, SBFP would benefit greatly from strengthening the links of interagency cooperation. Efforts of local government unit and other stakeholders should converge to complement SBFP with community-based activities. On the other hand, out of 320 enrollees of Magroyong Elementary School, 44 pupils were found to be underweight (40 wasted and 4 severely wasted). Thus, the researcher would like to tap the parents and teachers in school as Bayanihan sa Paaralan System to strengthen the School-Based Feeding Program to further decrease or erase the malnutrition beneficiaries' children in school.

METHODS

This study employed both descriptive and quantitative research design that helps to determine the efficacy of the SBF program in the school. Purposive sampling was used in the study. It focuses on the 44 identified undernourished pupils (wasted and severely wasted) as respondents that were subsequently enrolled in the school's feeding program. Document reviews and surveys were employed. The nutritional status of the pupils was the baseline data used in the study. The data gathered was subjected to both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

RESULTS

Results revealed that 44 out of 331 enrollees (14.3%) were found to be undernourished in the pre-feeding nutritional status of pupils in Magroyong Elementary School. After introducing the intervention, all the identified wasted and severely wasted pupils reduced to zero percent. However, there were challenges encountered in the implementation of SBFP such as poor participation of some parents in the program.

DISCUSSIONS

The school-based feeding program of the school yielded positive results due to the decreased number of undernourished pupils after the sixty days of feeding. However, it can be discerned from the attendance of the parents that some have poor participation in the program. Formulating strategies and implementing them to address the problems mentioned can arrive at an improved operation of SBFP and a smaller number of undernourished children requires collaborative efforts not only from the parents but as well as the teacher and other stakeholders.