TITLE: Beliefs and Practices of Mothers and Its effect on the Nutritional Status of School Age Children

Chapter I Introduction Background of the study Nutrition plays an important role in the academic life of the pupils balanced nutrition make children active, aware and enthusiastic in their academic performance and co-curricular activities as well as in their home and in the community. It is important for the parents in shorter children balanced diet to foster the sound health of their children. Nutrition is a fundamental factor that affects the growth and well being of man. It is a vital part of the design for improving the quality of life. Properly nourished human beings can develop to their fullest, physically and mentally.

Studies have proven that nutrition leads to a better life for our people because undernourished children have smaller brains and fewer brain cells (from 15 to 20 percent) than the well nourished children. Thus, if at birth a child has an IQ capacity of 140 percent, because of malnutrition, the gray matter of his brains will have been impaired during its development. The brain will not develop to its 140 percent IQ capacity. And if the impairment has reduced to 100 percent IQ capacity, no amount of quality education can improved that childs IQ beyond 100 percent because the original IQ capacity has already been reduced to 100 percent A malnourished child is therefore unproductive and unresponsive to creativity .Among the effects of malnutrition are: stunted growth, A continuous decline in weight, poor mental Performance, Low resistance to infection resulting to susceptibility to diseases like tuberculosis, diarrhea, chicken pox and some others.

Children who are malnourished usually show low performance in school and low aspiration for higher education and drop out of school.

Thus, Health implies not only being freed from diseases but having physical, mental and emotional fitness as well. Nutritional deficiencies are expressed not only in the physical condition of the children but more so in terms of poor learning abilities, poor grades, lack of interests in studies and failures. Education indeed has an important role in the problem. Mothers and Partners in parenting plays a pivotal role in promoting proper nutrition among their child/children. The task of improving the quality of nutrition begins in the home as well as in school.

References Flor B. Canopio, Your food and you: A guide to better Nutrition, Philippine publishing house, manila, Republic of the Philippines, 1977, p.1 Nutrition Information Series for Teachers, Published by nutrition center of the Philippines, Makati, metro manila, Philippines, 1978, p.25. Statement of the Problem 1. What factors affect the nutritional status of school age children? 2. What are the different practices and beliefs of a mother with regards to nutrition of their school age children?

3. What are the effects of nutritional status to the academic performance of school age children? 4. How do mothers prevent their child from undernutrition and overnutrition? Hypothesis: From the review of related literature the following hypothesis were formulated: Poverty and insufficiency of food because of defective food production is one of the causes of malnutrition. Lack of knowledge of the best foods also leads to malnutrition The best way or measure to combat malnutrition is to be fully aware of the problem, to be systematic in the campaign against it. Poor nutrition affects the childs physical and mental growth, so that the academic performance of the child is very much affected.

Significance of the study In order to mothers beliefs and practices about their school age children nutritional status,this study recommends that parents: * coordinate nutrition education in the classroom and meals served in the cafeteria;

* set a good example by eating healthfully; * let their children help to prepare meals and experiment with different foods; * regularly expose their children to new foods; and * encourage school officials to implement new child nutrition programs, or improve existing programs.

Try to control when and where food is eaten by your children by providing regular daily meal times with social interaction and demonstration of healthy eating behaviors.

Involve children in the selection and preparation of foods and teach them to make healthy choices by providing opportunities to select foods based on their nutritional value.

For children in general, reported dietary intakes of the following are low enough to be of concern by the USDA: vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and fiber. Select foods with these nutrients when possible.

Most Americans need to reduce the amount of calories they consume. When it comes to weight control, calories do count. Controlling portion sizes and eating non-processed foods helps limit calorie intake and increase nutrients.

Parents are encouraged to provide recommended serving sizes for children. Parents are encouraged to limit childrens video, television watching, and computer use to less than two hours daily and replace the sedentary activities with activities that require more movement.

Children and adolescents need at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on most days for maintenance of good health and fitness and for healthy weight during growth.

To prevent dehydration, encourage children to drink fluid regularly during physical activity and drink several glasses of water or other fluid after the physical activity is completed.

Scope and Limitations of the study The scope of this study was focused on beliefs, practices, attitude of a mother that affects the nutrional status of their school age children. The respondent of the study were the mothers of school age children in Alabat Elementary School. The researcher goes to the homes to identify mothers who fulfilled the inclusion criteria and to collect baseline data.

Theoretical Framework From the review of related literature, the researchers conceptualized that nutrition is the basic need and the fundamental factor that affects the physical and mental development of a child. Its connection is similar to the connection of plant to sunlight. A plant receiving much of this light grows stronger and bigger than other plants that less received this light from the sun. On the other hand, parents, teachers, as well as the government are also important factors to the childs physical

and mental development in the sense that they are responsible in molding the childs character, mind and spirit, and in implementing nutrition program for all the members of the society. Connection is like that of a plant to water or rain. Plant receiving this water grows more than the plant that receives less rain. Moreover, adequate nutrition is essential to good health. Good nutrition gives a picture of a person with health. Good nutrition gives a picture of a person with normal weight, height, and body frame for his age. He has firm and strong muscles that are well formed. He has good appetite and digestion, ability to concentrate, mental alertness, emotional ability, vitality and vigor, resistant to infections and wholesome personality are all results of good health and proper nutrition. Therefore, in order avoid the child from becoming malnourished; parents must see to it that their children have adequate diet. They must give their siblings more protein, minerals, water and vitamins which are greatly needed in their growth.

Conceptual Paradigm

Elements Proper of childcare Parenting Adequate nutrition Healthy environmen t Proper stimulation Good

Partners in parenting

Modifying Variables of Parents

Adequate parenting High level of emotional, psychological and intelectual development

Older Siblin gs

Neigh bours

Relati ves

Educatio n Income Type of Family

Fathe r& Moth er

CHIL D

Grand Paren ts

Frien ds

Adequate parenting of Low level emotional, intellectual development, and stuning

Defintion of terms Nutrition-is the combination of processes by which the living organism receives and utilizes the materials necessary for the maintenance of growth, reproduction and lactataion. Malnutrition- means an individual lacks one or more nutrients to the extent that retardation in physical development occurs in specific condition appear. It may also mean an excess of one or more nutrients resulting in the impairment of health. Performance- Is measured by the rating given by the teachers. Adequate Diet-is one that provides all the essential nutrients in essential quantities to meet the need of the body. Nutrition Education-Is a process by which beliefs, attitude and understanding gained about food.

References:

Manual for rural nutrition, Fundamentals of nutrition Part 1, (Nutrition foundation of the Philippines: Quezon City, Philippines, 1669).

Economic condition- the childs growth and development are influenced by environment, heredity, and economic conditions. The rate of income of a family gives the economic condition of the family. Nutritional problems in the proper feeding of school children, there are certain conditions which ought to be acted upon before any change for improvement can be effected. There are obstacles to be overcome or gaps to be patched up. The implications of these difficulties are termed nutritional problems. School- in this study refers to R.T. Camacho Elementary School which is used as the research locale. Pupil- are the ementary pupils used as subjects in this study.