The study identified the risk factors associated with stunting among 24-35 months indigenous children in Pinukpuk, Kalinga using case control design; 174 children (87 cases and 87 controls) were randomly selected and information were collected through interview and anthropometric measurements. Odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were used to measure association. Low birth weight, child drinking brewed or commercial coffee, no nutrient supplement intake since birth, and incomplete immunization were child risk factors of stunting. Exclusive breastfeeding from 0-6 months and weaning at >12 months have protective effect. Antenatal visits <4 times, father's height <5 feet, parent's education below secondary level were parental risk factors. Nuclear household and size of less than five members have protective effect against stunting. Having food restrictions among lactating mothers was cultural risk factors. Mothers' insufficient knowledge on exclusive breastfeeding, frequency of and proper way of breastfeeding, continuance of breastfeeding beyond 6 months, benefit of exclusive breastfeeding for six months to mothers and low self-confidence in preparing complementary food were all associated with stunting. Mother's positive attitude on benefits of frequent feeding was found to have protective effect against stunting. Thus, these family factors could be used when designing an action plan to address the problem of stunting among the indigenous Kalinga children.
Introduction: There is a dearth of public health and nutrition information available pertaining to the indigenous groups in the Philippines. Hence, this study described the prevalences of stunting and zinc deficiency, as well as factors associated with zinc status of 3-5 years old children among the Kankana-ey people, an indigenous group living in Kibungan, Benguet, Philippines. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used in the conduct of the study where 63 study participants were randomly selected from a chronological list of names of eligible Kankana-ey children by drawing lots. The mothers/primary caregivers of these children were interviewed to collect their socio-economic and demographic data, and dietary intake was assessed through three non-consecutive days 24-hour food recall. Height and weight of the children were also measured to determine their nutritional status. Lastly, blood samples were collected to determine the zinc status of the children based on serum zinc concentration, analysed through atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results: Results showed that 54.0% and 50.8% of the Kankana-ey children had stunting and zinc deficiency, respectively. There was significant positive association between being exclusively breastfed and current zinc status (p=0.001). On the other hand, a statistically significant negative correlation was observed between zinc intake and zinc serum concentration (r=-0.291, p=0.021). Conclusion: Undernutrition among Kankana-ey children is a major public health concern in Kibungan, Benguet. Preventive actions must be taken to alleviate the severity of both stunting and zinc deficiency, and to mitigate possible consequences by strengthening the current nutrition and health programmes for indigenous groups, especially among young children.
The importance of agriculture across the different Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) results from its increased relevance to long-term developmental consequences that affect children and other vulnerable groups. Although encouraging progress has been achieved in documenting nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) in community-based programs through analyses of existing data, much remains to be learned about what, how, and at what cost agriculture can contribute to improving nutrition outcomes. This study aims to explore the perceptions and understandings of local agriculture planners towards NSA in CALABARZON, Philippines. It also aims to describe the current position of the local agriculture planning in the study area. Data were collected using a phenomenological study design using two focus group discussions and five key informant interviews. Municipal agriculturists, municipal agriculture officers, agriculture extension workers, municipal nutrition action office (focus groups), and provincial agriculture officers (key informants) were recruited. Patterns were identified through a rigorous process of data familiarization, data coding, theme development, and revision. It was observed that NSA is a new concept among the local agriculture planners in the study area. Understanding of the participants on NSA mainly focused on improving the nutrient content of the crops produced to improve the nutrient intake of the population. Although the agriculture office has conducted several programs related to nutrition in the past, the continuity of the projects was not sustained. Thus, there is a need to increase the awareness of local institutions towards the importance of improving the nutrition sensitivity of local agriculture plans.
The field trial was conducted to establish the reliability in producing similar results between evaluators of the proposed new tools for Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of the nutrition plans and programs in the Local Government Units (LGUs). To do this, orientation activities were conducted to familiarize the 46 M&E team (MET) members evaluating the provincial, municipal, city, and barangay levels in two regions with the proposed tools during the field trial. After the event, the perceptions of the MET members of the tools were gathered by asking them to rate the tools through a self-administered questionnaire, and by noting their written and verbal commentaries about the proposed system. During the field trial, each MET member, as well as the member of the Project Team (PT), individually evaluated the LGUs using the tools. Secondary data on the LGUs performance scores using the old system were also gathered. The MET members' perception was examined based on the median rank of their ratings and content analysis of their insights about the tools, whereas the reliability of the tools was assessed based on the interrater reliability of the MET members' scores for the LGUs analyzed through paired samples t-Test, Pearson correlation coefficient, intraclass correlation coefficient, and technical error of measurement. The weighted scores of the MET and PT members were also compared. Moreover, the difference in the generated scores between the old and the new system was determined. The findings revealed that the MET members generally have a positive perception of the new system but raised some issues and concerns. Although the reliability of the tools was generally observed, actions are warranted for improvement. The tools generated statistically different scores when used by MET and PT members, and when compared to the existing system. Steps should be taken to improve the reliability of the proposed tools.
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