An exploratory study on the relationship of childhood malnutrition on school productivity among Grade I students in the third district of Aromahan, Caloocan City.

• Main Authors: Bernas, Justino V., Casalme, Worker Joseph, Jadwani, Joan
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1992
• Subjects: Malnutrition in children > Philippines; Malnutrition in children > Case studies; Children > Health and hygiene; Behavioral Economics; Health Economics
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/10327
• Institution: De La Salle University

The negative effect of malnutrition on child development and productivity has always been widely acknowledged and empirically proven in a number of foreign studies. The general goal of this study is to determine whether a significant association exists between nutritional deficiency and child productivity in the local scenario, and whether the latter is affected by other factors such as father's educational attainment, mother's educational attainment, family size and family income. This study involved 321 grade 1 students representing the six schools in Aromahan District, Caloocan City. School productivity was measured in terms of the average grade of the child for a quarter, while nutritional status was assessed through anthropometry, specifically weight-for-age and height-for-age. Data on the other variables were made available through questionnaires. A non-parametric statistical measure of association, called the Cramer Coefficient C , was used in the treatment of data. The type of relationship existing between the different variables was determined through the TSP covariance matrix. Results revealed that the average age of these students was 7 years. Majority of these students were moderately malnourished based on Jelliffe's weight-for-age classification. It was also found out that malnutrition (as measured by weight-for-age) had a considerable effect on the child's average grade, in that, those with lower weight-for-age tended to have lower grades. Height-for-age had a weak association with child productivity. The parent's school attainment and the family size had a considerable association with the child's grade attainment. Children with educated parents tended to have higher grades, and a small family was more likely to produce efficient children. The family's income had a weak association with the child's average grade.