Saturday, October 11, 2008 Roperos: Papa on the spot By Godofredo M. Roperos Politics Also
A report in a national daily the other day said that when children in a family are malnourished, chances are it is the padre de familia that dictates what the kids are to eat everyday. Thus, the children “will most likely suffer from iron deficiency and may not reach their ideal height.”
Researchers of the food and nutrition institute believe that whoever makes the decisions in the household invariably affects the nutrition of schoolchildren and toddlers.
Perhaps, the material well-being of the family, in so far as the father is the food provider of the family, may have something to do with it. This is especially so in our contemporary times when the family’s cash on hand almost always determine what the parents provide the kids.
What is worrisome in the survey is the fact that 42 percent of children 6 to 10 years old suffer from iron deficiency or anemia when a male head of family is the one that decides their diet. But this reportedly goes down to just 29 percent when the head of family is a female.
On the other hand, 33 percent of toddlers six months to five years old, would most likely be shorter than the average toddler when a male family member prepares the menu.
It was also discovered that households where the educational level of family heads is high, there is less Vitamin A and iron deficiencies among members. The higher the level, the lower the deficiencies.
The research findings sort of tilt the balance in favor of the middle income families as against the low income ones and the truly poor. The result pointed out the fact that ownership of a television set, cooking range or refrigerator also decreases the prevalence of malnutrition.
Iodine deficiency among the school children was also noted to drop by 71 percent and 52 percent when the household owns a TV set and a cooking range. Iron deficiency drops by 65 and 77 percent respectively when the household has a refrigerator.
In essence, the Food and Nutrition Institute findings merely affirm the fact that the material well-being of the family, any family for that matter, has something to do with health of its members.
What new thing it uncovered is the fact the level of malnutrition in a family may depend on which family head calls the shot on what the kids should have for breakfast, lunch (as baon), or dinner. What may be more material is whether the raw food was cooked on a cooking range, or in a wood or charcoal stove.
