Effect of dietary supplementation program on anthropometric status of preschoolers in Taguig City: Research notes

Abstract

Background: Access to nutritious food among the nutritionally at risk preschool children remains a challenge even in urban households in the Philippines.

Objectives: This study determined if the daily consumption of rice-soy meals for 120 days improved the anthropometric status of preschool children enrolled in selected child development centers in low-income barangay in Taguig City. Specifically, it determined if the proportion of underweight preschool children decreased at endline and if there was an increase in the weight of preschool children at endline.

Methodology: The study used the before and after study design. The Dietary Supplementation Program  was implemented by the LGU’s day care teachers. An NGO supplied the rice-soy meal packs. The children were fed with different variants of rice-soy meal pack containing 23 essential micronutrients. Anthropometric measurements were taken before and after 120 days. Data were subjected to Mc Nemar’s test to determine changes in the children’s nutritional status.

Results: A total of 538 children were enrolled in the DSP. Results of Mc Nemar's test showed that there was a significant improvement in the nutritional status (weight-for-age) of underweight preschool children (p=0.0000001) while the paired t-test showed that the increase in the weight of preschool children after the 120 day-dietary supplementation program was extremely statistically significant (p<0.001).

Conclusion: The daily feeding improved the weight of the undernourished children but overweight children maintained their overweight status at endline. The DSP Guidelines should  include feeding mechanism for overweight children. The DSP complementary components should also be assessed in improving household food security. 

Published online: October 9, 2021