Knowledge and consumption of fruits and vegetables of selected public and private senior high school students in Imus City, Cavite

Background@#The 2019 Expanded National Nutrition Survey results showed that the contribution of fruits and vegetables (FV) in the one-day food intake of adolescents only accounted for 2.6% and 5.9%, respectively. Numerous literatures also stated that insufficient intake of FV is associated with the development of most non-communicable diseases. @*Objectives@#This study was undertaken to compare the knowledge and consumption of FV between selected respondents from public and private SHS in Imus City.@*Methods@#The study used a descriptive research design, and convenience sampling was done to gather respondents. A self-administered questionnaire was developed and the level of knowledge on FV was classified into low, fair, and good. In the evaluation of FV amount consumption, the Daily Nutrition Guide Pyramid for Teens was used. The data were reported in mean, mode, and percentages.@*Results@#More public SHS (49%) obtained a good level of knowledge on nutrient contents of FV, and consumed fruits (61%) more than the recommended daily serving. While more private SHS (96%) had a good level of knowledge of its health benefits but consumed vegetables (67%) less than the recommended daily serving. Their most consumed vegetables were dahon ng sili and garlic. The most consumed fruits were Indian mango and pear. Squash (47%) was the most liked vegetable by both groups. The majority of public SHS identified banana (37%) as their most liked fruit while it was mango (22%) for the majority of private SHS. Public SHS respondents were also recorded to have a lower average estimated family expenditure on FV.@*Conclusion@#The study concluded that both public and private SHS do not consume adequate amounts of FV despite their good level of knowledge of its nutrients and health benefits.

A case study on undernutrition among children under five years of age in Barangay Calumpang, Nagcarlan, Laguna

Background@#In 2020, Barangay Calumpang, a 2nd class municipality in Nagcarlan, Laguna recorded the highest prevalence of undernutrition among children under five years of age out of the 52 barangays.@*Objectives@#This study was undertaken to describe the factors possibly causing undernutrition among children under five years of age in Barangay Calumpang and provide key recommendations to improve their nutritional status.@*Methods@#The study used a descriptive research design wherein secondary data from the 2020 Barangay Management Information System (BMIS) and Operation Timbang (OPT) 2021 was merged to extract the children's data. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for the principal component analysis (PCA) and creation of the wealth index. The children’s nutrition situation and profile were also cross-tabulated.@*Results@#We included 28 children. Undernutrition was more prevalent in boys than girls. Most of the children had improved water sources, sanitation facilities, and waste disposal methods. The wealth index showed that half of the subjects were in the lower quintiles, and all were partially immunized. The most prevalent forms of undernutrition were severe underweight (36%) and severe stunting (39%). Other forms of undernutrition were also present in the barangay, such as underweight (14%) and severe wasting (14%). There was also a prevalence of 11% for both stunting and wasting.@*Conclusion@#Undernutrition was more frequent in boys, lower quintile households (stunting), and partially immunized children. Conducting gender-targeted nutrition programs, developing nutrition-focused livelihood programs, increasing awareness on the advantages of immunization, and promoting proper infant and child feeding practices were some of the recommendations given to improve the nutritional status of children under five.