Do Parents’ Socio-demographic Profiles Link with the Body Mass Index of Children Five-Year-Old and Below?

Aims: To investigate the socio-demographic profiles, nutritional status, and the significant relationship between the two variables.

Study Design: A descriptive-correlation.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at Malita, Davao Occidental, Philippines, during the first quarter of 2022.

Methodology: The study used stratified random sampling in choosing the 187 parents/guardians respondents from 24 sitios/streets. To obtain the pertinent data, the researchers adapted the Philippine National Nutrition Council [1] questionnaire and used the anthropmetric measures using the Electronic Operation Timbang Tools. Moreover, ethical considerations were observed in the conduct of the study.

Results: Most of the respondents had 49-59 months old children males. The majority had 3-4 children, were high school level and earned below the poverty line. Most children were average in weight for age and height for age ratios. However, Body Mass Index (BMI) revealed that most children were underweight. It also showed that children's BMI, parents' educational attainment, and monthly income were not significantly associated. The results proved that children's nutrition depends not on parents' educational attainment and economic status but on several other factors.

Conclusion: Common belief that parents’ economic status and educational attainment are link with their children's malnutrition. The results of the study prove the assumption to be non-sequitur. Children's health depends significantly on parents' understanding of good nutrition.