The Problem and It’s Background
Introduction
Malnutrition affects people of every age, although infants, children, and adolescents may suffer the most because many nutrients are critical for normal growth and development. Older people may develop malnutrition because aging, illness, and other factors can lead to a poor appetite, so they may not eat enough.(Gavin,2012)
According to Food and Nutrition Research Institute (2011), malnutrition among Filipino children is still prevalent. Results showed that 15.9% or two out of 10 children from 0 to 47 months old were born with low birth weight or were less than 5.5 lbs. The results also showed that 20.2% of children in this category were underweight, while 33.6% were stunted or had lower heights for their age. 7.3% of the children suffered from acute malnutrition. In the 5 to 10 years old category, results were much higher. 32% of children in this category were underweight while 33.6% had low heights for their age. The percentage of children suffering acute malnutrition was 8.5%.
On the other hand, the national government invests on the health and education of poor households, particularly of children aged 0-14 years old through a human development program, The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4P’s). Despite of this effort, malnutrition among the children is still prevailing.
This study is about the malnutrition prevalence and the factors that caused it among the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program Children Beneficiaries. Also, this study seeks what factor affects malnutrition prevalence the