Undernourishment Needs Overemphasis: Lived Experiences of Elementary Teachers and Parents Having Undernourished Schoolchildren
Article Sidebar
Issue
Vol. 18 No. 3 (2023)
Accepted
22 November 2023
Published
30 November 2023
Keywords:
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lived experiences, poor class performance, pupils’ well–being, teachers' strategic initiative, undernourishment
Abstract
This present study aimed to explore the lived experiences of parents and elementary teachers with undernourished children or pupils. These pupils are enrolled in two elementary schools in the 4th District of Santa Catalina under the Division of Negros Oriental, Philippines. Employing the descriptive phenomenological design through the unstructured in-depth interview method on the experiences of teachers and parents with undernourished schoolchildren, twelve participants agreed to participate in this study. Digitally recorded interviews were thematically analyzed to generate the themes and subthemes. We generated four themes: (a) pupils' poor class performance and behavior; (b) teachers' strategic initiative aimed at enhancing performance and behavior; (c) Department of Education’s (DepEd) support for pupils' well-being; and (d) children's poor eating behavior. Teachers were challenged in handling pupils who are undernourished as the latter becomes mentally and physically absent in the classroom. To ensure that these pupils are not left behind, teachers make some interventions, like peer tutoring, to help the pupils cope with every day’s lesson. With the intention of improving the nutritional status of undernourished pupils, schools implemented the school-based feeding program and the giving of nutritious foods that may be brought home for pupils’ breakfast or supper. We conclude that despite the challenges encountered, teachers and parents devise interventions to lessen the negative effects of undernutrition with the help of DepEd.
References
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Buntoro IF, Deo DA, Woda RR. 2017. The impact of nutrition, helminth infection, and lifestyle on elementary school student’s achievement. J Trop Life Sci 7(1):30–33. https://doi.org/10.11594/jtls.07.01.05
Carboo JA, Malan L, Lombard MJ, Dolman-Macleod RC. 2023. Vitamin D status in relation to systemic and intestinal inflammation in undernourished children, 6–59 months old: Design and rationale of a non-controlled open label trial. Hum Nutr Metab 31:200181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hnm.2022.200181
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Nisbett N, Wach E, Haddad L, Arifeen SE. 2015. What drives and constrains effective leadership in tackling child undernutrition? Findings from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India and Kenya. Food Policy 53:33–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2015.04.001
Nugusse A, Mitiku H, Raru TB, Abdurke M, Yousuf J, Brewis A, Roba KT. 2022. Correlates of undernutrition of children (Aged 5–14 Years) in Haramaya District, Eastern Ethiopia. Hum Nutr Metab 29:200157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hnm.2022.200157
Salleh NW, Hamid SBA, Nor NM, Shuhaimi FA, Zaman MK, Ismail NH. 2021. Diet quality and growth status of children aged two to six years at Tuba Island, Langkawi, Malaysia. J Gizi Pangan 16(3):159–168. https://doi.org/10.25182/jgp.2021.16.3.159-168
Scaglioni S, De Cosmi V, Ciappolino V, Parazzini F, Brambilla P, Agostoni C. 2018. Factors influencing children’s eating behaviours. Nutrients 10(6):706. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10060706
Smith LC, Haddad L. 2015. Reducing child undernutrition: Past drivers and priorities for the post-MDG era. World Dev 68:180–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.11.014
Teo CH, Chin YS, Lim PY, Masrom SAH, Shariff ZM. 2019. School-based intervention that integrates nutrition education and supportive healthy school food environment among Malaysian primary school children: A study protocol. BMC Public Health 19(1):1‒10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7708-y
Więch P, Sałacińska I, Bączek M, Bazaliński D. 2022. The nutritional status of healthy children using bioelectrical impedance and anthropometric measurement. J Pediatr 98(2):161–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2021.05.009
Zhang M, Giloi N, Shen Y, Yu Y, Aza Sherin MY, Lim MC. 2022. Prevalence of malnutrition and associated factors among children aged 6–24 months under poverty alleviation policy in Shanxi Province, China: A cross-sectional study. Ann Med Surg 81:104317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104317
Allen LH. 2014. Micronutrient research, programs, and policy: From meta-analyses to metabolomics. Adv Nutr 5(3):344S–351S. https://doi.org/10.3945/an.113.005421
Ayyaz R, Meraj MA, Mustafa F. 2021. Exploring the fundamental risk factors of child malnutrition: An application of Proportional Odds Model (POM). Pakistan Journal of Public Health 11(2):113–119. https://doi.org/10.32413/pjph.v11i2.766
Baker-Henningham H, Hamadani JD, Huda SN, Grantham-McGregor SM. 2009. Undernourished children have different temperaments than better-nourished children in rural Bangladesh. J Nutr 139(9):1765–1771. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.109.106294
Belesova K, Agabiirwe CN, Zou M, Phalkey R, Wilkinson P. 2019. Drought exposure as a risk factor for child undernutrition in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and assessment of empirical evidence. Environ Int 131:104973. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.104973
Berhanu G, Dessalegn B, Ali H, Animut K. 2023. Determinants of nutritional status among primary school students in Dilla Town: Application of an ordinal logistic regression model. Heliyon 9(3):e13928. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13928
Braun V, Clarke V. 2021. Thematic Analysis: A Practical Guide. London (UK): Sage
Buntoro IF, Deo DA, Woda RR. 2017. The impact of nutrition, helminth infection, and lifestyle on elementary school student’s achievement. J Trop Life Sci 7(1):30–33. https://doi.org/10.11594/jtls.07.01.05
Carboo JA, Malan L, Lombard MJ, Dolman-Macleod RC. 2023. Vitamin D status in relation to systemic and intestinal inflammation in undernourished children, 6–59 months old: Design and rationale of a non-controlled open label trial. Hum Nutr Metab 31:200181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hnm.2022.200181
Claus SP. 2013. Fighting undernutrition: Don’t forget the bugs. Cell Host & Microbe 13(3):239‒240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2013.02.015
Danso F, Appiah MA. 2023. Prevalence and associated factors influencing stunting and wasting among children of ages 1 to 5 years in Nkwanta South Municipality, Ghana. Nutrition 110:111996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2023.111996
Das JK, Salam RA. 2019. Addressing childhood undernutrition and development through education and lipid-based supplements. Lancet Glob Health 7(9):e1160–e1161. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2214-109x(19)30341-9
Fufa DA, Laloto TD. 2021. Factors associated with undernutrition among children aged between 6–36 months in Semien Bench district, Ethiopia. Heliyon 7(5): e07072. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07072
Ickes SB, Hossain M, Ritter G, Lazarus M, Reynolds K, Nahar B, Ahmed T, Walson J, Denno DM. 2018. Systematic review of tools and methods to measure appetite in undernourished children in the context of low- and middle-income countries. Adv Nutr 9(6):789–812. https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmy042
Khanam SJ, Haque MA. 2021. Prevalence and determinants of malnutrition among primary school going children in the haor areas of Kishoreganj district of Bangladesh. Heliyon 7(9):e08077. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08077
Kumar P, Zode M, Basu S. 2023. The effectiveness of facility-based management of children with severe acute malnutrition and their determinants in Jharkhand, India: A retrospective study. Dialogues in Health 2:100096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dialog.2022.100096
Leroy JL, Frongillo EA, Dewan P, Black MM, Waterland RA. 2020. Can children catch up from the consequences of undernourishment? Evidence from child linear growth, developmental epigenetics, and brain and neurocognitive development. Adv Nutr 11(4):1032–1041. https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmaa020
Mauludyani AVR, Fahmida U, Santika O. 2012. Undernutrition prevalence among children under two years old in Indonesia during economic crisis and its related factors. J Gizi Pangan 7(3):169–174. https://doi.org/10.25182/jgp.2012.7.3.169-174
Mohseni M, Aryankhesal A, Kalantari N. 2019. Prevention of malnutrition among children under 5 years old in Iran: A policy analysis. Plos One 14(3): e0213136. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213136
Nisbett N, Gillespie S, Haddad L, Harris J. 2014. Why worry about the politics of childhood undernutrition? World Dev 64:420–433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.06.018
Nisbett N, Wach E, Haddad L, Arifeen SE. 2015. What drives and constrains effective leadership in tackling child undernutrition? Findings from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India and Kenya. Food Policy 53:33–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2015.04.001
Nugusse A, Mitiku H, Raru TB, Abdurke M, Yousuf J, Brewis A, Roba KT. 2022. Correlates of undernutrition of children (Aged 5–14 Years) in Haramaya District, Eastern Ethiopia. Hum Nutr Metab 29:200157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hnm.2022.200157
Salleh NW, Hamid SBA, Nor NM, Shuhaimi FA, Zaman MK, Ismail NH. 2021. Diet quality and growth status of children aged two to six years at Tuba Island, Langkawi, Malaysia. J Gizi Pangan 16(3):159–168. https://doi.org/10.25182/jgp.2021.16.3.159-168
Scaglioni S, De Cosmi V, Ciappolino V, Parazzini F, Brambilla P, Agostoni C. 2018. Factors influencing children’s eating behaviours. Nutrients 10(6):706. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10060706
Smith LC, Haddad L. 2015. Reducing child undernutrition: Past drivers and priorities for the post-MDG era. World Dev 68:180–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.11.014
Teo CH, Chin YS, Lim PY, Masrom SAH, Shariff ZM. 2019. School-based intervention that integrates nutrition education and supportive healthy school food environment among Malaysian primary school children: A study protocol. BMC Public Health 19(1):1‒10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7708-y
Więch P, Sałacińska I, Bączek M, Bazaliński D. 2022. The nutritional status of healthy children using bioelectrical impedance and anthropometric measurement. J Pediatr 98(2):161–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2021.05.009
Zhang M, Giloi N, Shen Y, Yu Y, Aza Sherin MY, Lim MC. 2022. Prevalence of malnutrition and associated factors among children aged 6–24 months under poverty alleviation policy in Shanxi Province, China: A cross-sectional study. Ann Med Surg 81:104317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104317
Authors
CubaA. A., AlbinaA., JamandronN. J., SartinE., & RiveraJ. P. (2023). Undernourishment Needs Overemphasis: Lived Experiences of Elementary Teachers and Parents Having Undernourished Schoolchildren . Jurnal Gizi Dan Pangan, 18(3), 157-166. https://doi.org/10.25182/jgp.2023.18.3.157-166
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