Over and Under Nutrition among Mother-Child Pairs in Selected Households in District I, Tondo, Manila

It is important to identify factors that may influence the existence of over and underweight or normal/normal nutritional status among mother-child pairs in one household. This provides information for designing intervention strategies to address both the problems of over and undernutrition co-existing in one household. It also serves as a basis for the conduct of a larger study for the formulation of evidence-based policies.

Researchers of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute-DOST led by Dr. Imelda A. Agdeppa, Ms. Ruby D. Laña and Dr. Corazon VC. Barba have found that in District I, Tondo, Manila a mother's perception on body size in the over nutrition mother-under nutrition child group (O/U) are the following:

38% said they were somewhat thin to just right
42% claimed they were somewhat fat
20% said they were fat to very fat

In the normal mother/normal child group, (N/N) mothers perceived their body size as:
34% thin to somewhat thin
50% just right, and
16% fat to very fat

Mother's perception on her child's body size showed that over nutrition mother/undernutrition child group (O/U).
32% said their children were very thin
26% thin
29% somewhat thin, and
13% just right

Mothers in the normal mother/normal child group (N/N) considered their children as:
30% thin
34% somewhat thin
33% just right, and
3% somewhat fat

The investigators concluded that the factors influencing the existence of over/underweight or normal/normal status of mother-child pairs in a household are:
socio-economic demographic factors (mother's educational level, mother's occupation and number of children)
mother's perception on her and child's body size
food preferences of both mothers and children
energy and nutrient intake of both mothers and children in the O/U group were lower than N/N group
energy expenditure of both mothers and children in O/U group were higher than in the N/N group.

It is therefore necessary to package nutrition messages to address both the problems of over and underweight. It is urged that more efforts be done to intensify nutrition education to consider the emerging problem of obesity. Use of dietary history is needed to give information on the food intake of obese individuals.

For more information on this study, you may write to:
Dr. CORAZON VC. BARBA
Director
Food and Nutrition Research Institute, DOST
Gen. Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig, Metro Manila 1631