Abstract

Malnutrition continues to be the underlying factor for many diseases in both adult and children, and it contributes greatly to the disability-adjusted life years worldwide. Parents, teachers, community leaders, and health practitioners have increasing concern in recent years about the range of negative outcomes surrounding eating habits and weight of children. The objective of the study sought to determine the caregivers feeding practices of malnourished children according to exposure to food and responses to feeding behavior. Further, it sought to determine if there is a significant difference in the caregivers feeding practices of malnourished children according to Parent related variables: socioeconomic status, educational background, number of children, caregiver category and ethnicity; and child related variable; weight category and rank of child.

The study made use of the descriptive survey design. The study was conducted in 28 Barangays of the city of Baguio. Thetotal number of caregivers of malnourished children included in the study was 280. A 20 item questionnaire was used in the study. Collected data was then organized and tabulated. Frequency, percentages and chi square were utilized in the study. The study revealed that caregivers give vitamins and noodles to child (191) followed by allowing to eat snacks when watching TV (187) and inclusion of vegetable in the meal (186). With regards to responses to feeding, caregivers give special privileges to child (204) and trying him to eat food when food is not consumed (203) are practiced. The study revealed that there is a significant difference in the caregivers feeding practices on malnourished children along exposure to food according to parent variables, socio-economic status, educational attainment, number of children, type of caregiver and ethnicity. Furthermore, it revealed that there is a significant difference in the caregivers feeding along responses to feeding according to parent variable: socio economic status, number of children, type of caregiver and educational attainment. Moreover, it revealed that there is a significant difference in the caregivers feeding practices of malnourished children along responses to feeding according to parent variable: weight category and rank of the child. Meanwhile it also revealed that there is a significant difference in the caregivers feeding practices of malnourished child along responses to feeding according to weight category. The study concludes that caregivers feeding practices of malnourished children vary along exposure to food and responses to feeding. Furthermore, the study concludes that parent variables, socio-economic status, number of children, type of caregiver and ethnicity affects the caregivers feeding practices of malnourished children. On the other hand, child related variable, weight category, affects the caregivers’ feeding practices. The researcher recommends that infants or child feeding behaviors be studied in the future to present a more detailed picture of feeding practices among malnourished children. The study may be done in rural setting and later compare it with the urban setting to clearly depict the possible factors that might affect feeding practices. Programs can be developed such as reinforcing interventions through proper information about proper nutrition and information wherein the caregivers can easily understand and reinforce to their child in such a way that both parties, the health worker and caregiver, would benefit.