MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino children, whose daily diet is decided by a male, are likely to suffer from iron deficiency and not reach their ideal height, a government study shows.

Researchers at the Food and Nutrition Institute (FNRI) have discovered the relationship of the gender of the heads of households and its effect on the nutrition of family members aged six months to 10 years. The government has had programs to address deficiencies in iron and Vitamin A, among other nutrients.

School-age children ranging from six years to 10 years have a 42 percent likelihood of experiencing iron deficiency or anemia, when their male heads of household take charge of the decision-making on nutrition. Children coming households with female heads who decide on nutrition, meanwhile, have a 29 percent chance of being anemic.

Aged six months to five years, pre-school children coming from male-headed households are 33 percent likely to be shorter than children in female-headed households (17 percent).

“Future government programs [on nutrition] must be geared toward specific groups for the improvement of the nutritional status of children,” said Ma. Lilibeth Patale-Dasco, one of the researchers, in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Dasco and co-researchers Carolina Pine and Corazon Cerdeña presented their study during the 34th FNRI seminar series in July.

Heads of households are defined as the decision maker of the family in terms of organization and diet, according to Dasco.

Data was obtained from the 6th national nutrition survey, with youngest child per household included in the analysis, the research said. The study covered 3,044 households and limited to the professions of the heads of households. It did not delve into the civil status of heads, whether they are widowers, single parents, etc.

“The results show that most of the household profiles or characteristics are dependent on whether the household head is male or female,” the study said. “Underweight and under height [pre-school] children are prevalent among male-headed households compared to female-headed households.”

Aside from the gender of the household head, other factors also affect a child's nutritional status.

The study shows that education of the household head plays a vital role in a pre-school child's nutrition as the prevalence of Vitamin A and iron deficiencies decrease by 94 percent and 96 percent respectively.

School-age children, on the other hand, are unlikely to suffer from Vitamin A and iodine deficiencies, with odds dropping by 95 percent, if the head of household increases his/her educational attainment.

Owning a television, cooking range or refrigerator also decreases the prevalence of malnutrition among school-aged children. The occurrence of iodine deficiency for this age group drops by 71 percent and 52 percent if their household owns a television and a cooking range respectively.

The prevalence of iron and Vitamin A deficiencies among pre-school children significantly goes down by 65 percent and 77 percent when their households own a refrigerator.

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