Nutritional Status of High School Students Under the Feeding Program and Recipients of the Non-Feeding Program in Relation to their Eating Style and Academic Performance: Basis for an Enhanced Wellness

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

The School-Based Feeding Program (SFPs) are among several interventions that can address some of the nutrition and health problems of the school. The Kaytitinga National High School also implemented the SFPs aiming to improve the nutritional status, improving academic performance and improved household food security. In this study, the researcher tried to find out the effects of nutritional status of high school students recipients of feeding program and not recipients of feeding program in relation to their eating style and academic performance: basis for an enhanced wellness program.

METHODS

Descriptive correlational design of the research was applied to interpret and analyze the data. This study focuses on Junior High School students with a low nutritional status. There was a total of 365 respondents, 194 Grade 7 students and 170 Grade 8 students. The students took BMI for their nutritional status, answered Phil-IRRI Nutritional and Lifestyle Status Questionnaire based on the Likert's scale to survey student's eating style and gathered student's permanent record for their academic achievement.

RESULTS

The majority of the Grade 7 and Grade 8 students who participated in the study have a normal nutritional status which belong to the recipients of the non-feeding program. There were 14 students whose nutritional status categorized as severely wasted and 351 most students belong to normal nutritional status. It is noticeable that most of the students received all the nutrients in appropriate amounts so as to meet the needs of the body and the recipients of the feeding program help to improve their nutritional status. The majority of student recipients of the feeding program is fair satisfactory while the non-recipients of the feeding program is satisfactory. The higher academic performance levels of the student have normal nutritional status. Eating program would show an effect on the students' health and their performance level.

DISCUSSIONS

The results demonstrate that the school should include seminars among students and parents on good eating habits and the importance of good nutrition. Inculcate among learners the values of physical exercise as a proposed wellness program that may be able to improve the nutritional status of the students and academic performance.