LEVEL OF PERCEPTIONS ON SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAMS:

AN INPUT TO SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN

ABSTRACT

The school health programs are DepEd projects toward the promotion, protection

and maintenance of the health of the school children. These health programs included

School-based feeding Program, National Drug Education Program, Adolescent

Reproductive Health Program, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Program and Medical,

Dental and Nurse Services Program. The major objective of this research is to determine

parents’ level of awareness, understanding and acceptance concerning these programs

in selected schools of the Division of Cabuyao. Three-hundred ten parents from the

different schools were asked to answer a survey questionnaire which was self-made by

the researcher. The study found out that parents’ level of awareness needs improvement

which were mostly moderate as indicated by the composite mean range of 3.17 – 3.96,

especially in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools (3.17 – 3.24) and National Drug

Education Program (3.18 – 3.47), in which, parents were just somewhat aware of these

programs. Likewise, parents’ level of understanding and their acceptance to the said

programs also need further enhancement. Parents were not totally informed of these

programs and the efforts that were done by the school to keep them aware and informed

of the program were not enough. With this, an action plan was proposed to increase the

level of parents’ awareness, understanding and acceptance on different school health

programs as an input to school improvement plan.

Keywords: Awareness, Understanding, Acceptance, School-based Feeding Program,

National Drug Education Program, Adolescent Reproductive Health
Program, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Program, Medical, Dental and
Nursing Services Program

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 Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Good health is the foundation of active, happy life among people. The

building of progressive nation depends upon the health of the people which does

not only make a nation strong but also enriches it in some aspects (Hancock,

2019). The Philippine government is exerting so much effort to improve the

health of the Filipino people, one of which is the implementation of different

school health programs. With this, the school has a unique opportunity as well

as responsibility to assist in developing and maintaining the optimum level of

health of its student. The success of a student is sometimes depends upon the

physical and mental fitness, therefore, health education in public elementary

schools should not be neglected. It must be well planned, implemented so that

it will contribute to the attainment of educational goals as well as national

development goals.

Moreover, the school health program is a socio-economic endeavor

toward the promotion, protection and maintenance of the health of the school

children. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) (Jaordonova, et.

Al., 2015) also added that the country’s investments for an effective school

health program are considered to be a cost-effective investment as it

simultaneously improves health and education. With the present issues in health

which affect student education and attendance in school such as malnutrition

where children miss so much school time, get delayed coming back or refuse to

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return to avoid the stigma of grade level repeaters, unintended pregnancies

cause girls to drop-out of school lessening their chances for a better future, and

the problem on illegal drugs poses as a bigger threat to the security and welfare

of the youth and students, government’s intervention through the Department of

Education (Celia, 2019) is indeed of utmost importance.

Many of the current and future causes of death, diseases and disability

can be significantly reduced by detecting highly vulnerable individuals. Early

detection is critical, for that reason, school administrators, staff, and teachers

are in a position to identify nutrition and hygienic issues, substance abuse, and

risky sexual behavior. In response to these concerns, the Bureau of Learner

Support Services (BLSS)- School Health Division (SHD) implements several

health and nutrition programs to maintain and improve the health of

schoolchildren and personnel through the prevention and control of diseases,

and the promotion of health-related knowledge, attitudes, skills, and practices.

Aligning these programs with its targets will pave the way for a more systematic

and holistic approach in the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of its

multifarious undertakings.

The Department of Education (DepEd) health programs are primarily

directed towards providing and strengthening health and nutrition education to

vulnerable learners and those needing emergency care in schools. Deped Order

No. 28, S. 2018 or the Oplan Kalusugan sa Department of Education (OK

sa DepEd) Program, which was launched in December 2017, is a converging

DepEd’s health and nutrition programs where health plans, policies, programs,

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and activities are implemented to ensure that all school children are provided

with basic primary health and dental care to allow them to attain their full

educational potential. It was fully implemented in July of school year 2018-2019,

in close collaboration with the Department of Health (DOH), local government

units (LGUs), and various stakeholders at the local and national levels.

OK sa DepEd redound towards improving school performance or

learning indicators of the learners, such as improved attendance and class

participation, improved completion and achievement levels, and reduced drop-

out. Furthermore, this convergence of DepEd’s health and nutrition programs

shall also strengthen DepEd’s efforts to contribute to the attainment of the

Sustainable Development Goals in the Philippines, specifically, end poverty in

all its forms everywhere, end hunger, achieve food security and improved

nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture, ensure healthy lives and promote

well-being for all at all ages, ensure inclusive and equitable quality education

and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, achieve gender equality and

empower all women and girls, and lastly, ensure access to water and sanitation

for all.

Each School shall be responsible in developing its own Action Plan for

OK sa DepEd which shall be incorporated in the Annual Implementation Plan

(AIP) and School Implementation Plan (SIP) as well as in the self-assessment

of needed resources and facilities in the conduct of school-based health service

delivery and education.

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 Although, the DepEd issued memoranda to develop and maintain the

health of the school children which all schools should adhere. With this, parents’

involvement and support on the said program should be tapped to fully realize

the objectives of the Ok sa DepEd. The joint effort of all stakeholders in school

is very essential in achieving the success of the said program. There is a need,

therefore, to find out the level of acceptance of parents to different existing

school health programs in public elementary schools in Cabuyao, Laguna.

Background of the Study

Parents play a significant role in supporting their children’s health and

learning, guiding their children successfully through school processes and

advocating for their children and for the effectiveness of the school. Parent

engagement in school is defined as parents and school staff working together

to support and improve the learning, development and health of children and

adolescents (Epstein, 2011).

Parent engagement is very important. It is essential because it

contributes to the success of children in academics and extracurricular aspects.

School efforts to promote health among students have been shown to be more

successful when parents are involved. The health promoting schools initiative

maintains that in order to successfully promote the long term health and well-

being of their students, school must work closely with parents and local

community (Cedex, 2009)

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 Recognizing the importance of schools, the government has continued to

strengthen the roles that these institutional units can play in the health care of

the population through its policies on school health and student health services.

The Department of Education (DepEd) officially launched its flagship health

program Oplan Kalusugan (OK) sa DepEd, as a convergence of its health

programs, plans, policies and activities, on July 13, 2018. The national launch

showcased the five major school health programs of the Department, including

the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP); National Drug Education Program

(NDEP); Adolescent Reproductive Health Education (ARH); Water, Sanitation,

and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools (WinS) Program; and medical, nursing, and

dental services (deped.gov.ph).

The School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) is the provision of hot

meals to undernourished Kinder to Grade 6 learners and all Kinder in

Philippine Plan of Action (PPAN) 2017-2022 Focus Areas based on

stunting prevalence, to improve classroom attendance and encourage

learners to go to school every day. The meal must meet 1/3 of the

recommended intake in the Philippine Dietary Reference Intakes (PDRI).

The National Drug Education Program (NDEP) is a comprehensive

educational program which provides for a holistic approach to the problem

of drug abuse. It is designed to enable all sectors to work collaboratively

with the school system as the core, thereby, unifying all sectoral

endeavors. On the other hand, Adolescent Reproductive Health Education

(ARH) is a program that aims to strengthen DepEd’s delivery of its

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mandates under the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health

(RPRH) Act of 2012 (R.A. No. 10354) through a guidance and counseling

program by enhancing capacities of licensed guidance counselors or

designated homeroom guidance teachers and selected personnel and

development of a referral network to service providers on all RPRH

concerns while Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools (WinS)

Program focuses on the standards for the promotion of a clean and safe school

environment and correct hygiene and sanitation practices among learners,

and that is implemented side by side with the Essential Heath Care

Program (EHCP), Deworming, and other related school health projects of

DepEd. Finally, medical, nursing, and dental services is the provision of

various health services such as health appraisal, treatment, consultation,

referral, health counseling among others, to promote, protect and maintain

the health status of learners and school personnel.

The question on the acceptability of different school health programs was

rooted in the vaccine experience of parents. In the recent issue regarding

Dengvaxia, many parents stopped trusting Department of Health (DOH) and

Department of Education (DepEd). This has caused stress and anxiety among

parents. They were fearful for their child’s health. The Dengvaxia scare has

undermined the implementation of health programs in different schools all over

the country, including deworming (Valido, 2018).

Problems related to deworming became an issue after this Dengvaxia

scare. In a recent study of the Nutrition Center of the Philippine (NCP) in

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improving the nutritional status of Filipino Children, aside from malnutrition the

leading ailments of school children is infection. About 84.40% of school children

are infected with intestinal parasites. Six out of ten children have at least one

type of worm. Intestinal worm infestation results to iron deficiency anemia (IDA)

and has shown to decrease physical fitness and activity, work capacity and

productivity. They retard growth and impair school performance. Decrease

learning capacity and increased absenteeism are common among affected

school children (Delfin, 2018).

It seriously affected the conduct of health programs including those in

school because many parents refused to sign waivers. Some parents preferred

private health practitioners. The trust in public health institutions has been

eroded and also the information being received from these institutions has been

low. Vaccination rates are now suffering as many parents started ignoring

immunization programs due to fear that the vaccine being used could put their

children’s lives at risk. Some health programs are also being avoided.

Because of the above cited observations and situations, the researcher

is motivated to conduct a study on the level of acceptability of parents to different

school health programs so that this issue will be given concern and will be an

input to the school improvement plan.

Theoretical Framework

Children depend on their parents for survival; they could not live alone.

Hence, they entrust their future and lives to them. In return, parents try to provide

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their kids everything to make sure that they will stay healthy. Parent’s lack of

appreciation to different school program was brought about by the wrong

perception of the society to these programs. The main reason that parents

refuse vaccination is a desire to protect their children and believe that

vaccination is harmful.

Misconceptions should be corrected at once to make the parents realize

that the different school health programs will help them in prevention of different

diseases. If they try to avoid these programs because of fear, chances are their

condition could be worsen and could result to serious complications. Situations

like these need extensive treatment and could sometimes endanger their

children’s lives.

To prevent this scenario, parents should regain their positive attitudes

about school health programs including vaccination. In this study, the

researcher’s concern is to raise awareness, understanding and acceptability of

the parents on different school health programs for them to pass the knowledge

and behavior to their children.

This study is based on the Social Cognitive Theory by Albert Bandura.

Bandura's social learning theory stresses the importance of observational

learning, imitation and modeling. His theory integrates a continuous interaction

between behaviors, personal factors - including cognition - and the environment

referred to as reciprocal causation model. It is also the concern of this study, to

assess the potential associations between parents' knowledge, attitudes and

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beliefs toward vaccination and other health programs. Through parents’

awareness, understanding and acceptability, their children will also adopt such

health programs because their parents become influential factor in practicing

such health programs. It is among the most influential of theories about human

learning and development and can be used to understand a wide range of

phenomena, including how individuals adopt and reproduce health-related

practices. The theory is valuable in that it provides a theoretical foundation to

help guide the design of formal educational initiatives and behavioral-change

programs and offer direction about less formal, more everyday prevention and

intervention strategies (Bickel, 2015).

Conceptual Framework

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE DEPENDENT VARIABLE

Respondents

I. Parents
a. Age Parents’ Perceptions on
b. Sex School Health Programs in
c. Educational terms of:
attainment
d. Religion a. Awareness
II. Schools b. Understanding
a. School A c. Acceptance
b. School B
c. School C
d. School D

Figure 1. Dependent Variable as affected by Independent Variable

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 It is shown in Figure 1 how the dependent variable is affected by the

independent variable. The Independent variable includes the parents as

describe by their age, sex, educational attainment and religion and the school

which refers to the School A, School B, School C and School D. On the other

hand, dependent variable comprises the perception of the parent respondents

in terms of their awareness, understanding and acceptance. The parents’

awareness, understanding and acceptance to the school health programs may

differ as affected by the parents’ demographics and school where their children

are enrolled in.

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

School Health
Programs: Proposed Plan of
Determining Action to increase
• School-based the level of
Feeding Program parents’ level of
parents’
• National Drug awareness,
Education understanding and awareness,
Program acceptance through understanding and
• Adolescent data gathering and acceptance to the
Reproductive statistical treatment different school
Health Education and analysis health programs as
• Water, Sanitation an input to
and Hygiene in schools’
Schools
improvement plan.
• Medical, Dental
and Nursing
Services

Figure 2. Research Paradigm

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 This study about determining the level of awareness, understanding and

acceptability of parents in the different school health programs in the public

schools of Cabuyao, Laguna shall utilize the input-process-output. The input of

the study consists of the five flagship health programs of the school based on

the DepEd Order No. 28, s. 2018 or the OK sa DepEd. such as School-based

Feeding Program (SBFP), National Drug Education Program (NDEP),

Adolescent Reproductive Health Education (ARH), Water, Sanitation and

Hygiene in Schools (WINS) and Medical, Dental and Nursing Services.

On the other hand, the process consists of the determining the level of

parents’ awareness, understanding and acceptability on these five health

programs through data gathering, statistical treatment and analysis of data.

The output involves the proposing a plan of action to increase the level

of parents’ awareness, understanding and acceptability on these five health

programs which can be an input to the schools’ improvement plan.

Statement of the Problem

The study aims to evaluate the level of awareness, understanding and

acceptability of parents in the elementary schools in District II-B in the Division

of Cabuyao.

It is also seek to answer the following specific questions:

1. What is the profile of the parent respondents in terms of:

1.1 Age

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 1.2 Sex

1.3 Civil status

1.4 Highest educational attainment

1.5 Religion

2. What is the level of awareness of the parents in terms of the following

school health programs:

1.1 School-based Feeding Program (SBFP);

1.2 National Drug Education Program (NDEP);

1.3 Adolescent Reproductive Health Education (ARH);

1.4 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools (WINS);

1.5 Medical, Dental and Nursing Services?

3. What is the level of parents’ understanding on different school health

programs in terms of:

2.1 School-based Feeding Program (SBFP);

2.2 National Drug Education Program (NDEP);

2.3 Adolescent Reproductive Health Education (ARH);

2.4 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools (WINS);

2.5 Medical, Dental and Nursing Services?

3 What is the level of parents’ acceptance on different school health programs

in terms of:

3.1 School-based Feeding Program (SBFP);

3.2 National Drug Education Program (NDEP);

3.3 Adolescent Reproductive Health Education (ARH);

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 3.4 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools (WINS);

3.5 Medical, Dental and Nursing Services?

4 Is there a significant difference between the level of parents’ awareness on

different school health programs in the selected schools?

5 Is there a significant difference between the level of parents’ understanding

on different school health programs in the selected schools?

6 Is there a significant difference between the level of parents’ acceptance on

different school health programs in the selected schools?

7 What plan of action can be proposed to increase the level of parents’

awareness, understanding and acceptance on different school health

programs as an input to school improvement plan?

Hypotheses

The researcher is guided by the following hypotheses:

1. There is no significant difference in level of parents’ awareness on different

school health programs in the selected schools.

2. There is no significant difference in level of parents’ understanding on

different school health programs in the selected schools.

3. There is no significant difference in level of parents’ acceptance on different

school health programs in the selected schools.

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Significance of the Study

The purpose of this research is to explore on the differences in the level

of parents’ awareness, understanding and acceptability on different school

health programs. The results of the study is considered significant to the different

stakeholders in four schools in District II-B, Cabuyao City Division.

The findings of this study may give an insights to the Department of

Education as a form of reference, guide and bases to in all aspects of the

different school health programs implementation. This can be used to further

improve the implementation of OK sa DepEd program.

For the Program Administrators and Program Implementers, this study

may provide with a concrete and reasonable basis regarding parent’s level of

acceptability to different health programs in schools. It could help them analyze

and do possible actions to improve their motivational/ encouragement skills to

parents so that they will participate more on different school health programs.

This also enables the school principal to be aware on the level of

acceptance of the parents on their different school programs and what programs

in OK sa DepEd in their school need additional support.

The result of the study may also be very significant to the school health

coordinators in providing updated data in laying out better plans, valuable

suggestions and recommendations that could help maximize “OK sa DepEd”

implementation in their school.

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 For the Parents, this study provides information, deeper understanding,

appreciation and recognition of the efforts exerted by the department in

implementing different school health programs including OK sa DepEd to lessen

the cases of malnourishment to pupils that could predispose them to diseases

that would have an impact in their learning thus affecting their academic

performance.

The students, being the recipients of vaccines,, deworming and other

school health programs may also be benefited by this study because a more

improve, systematic and successful implementation of the programs may be

expected, where more improved and equipped administrators and implementers

and sense of dedication and commitment will be showcased in .

Furthermore, the findings of the study would also offer an advantage to

the future researchers. They may be motivated to further investigate about the

context of this study and they may include other factors which are not in the

scope. The findings and conclusions, as well as the suggestions and

recommendations may provide learnings that could be useful in the conduct of

a similar undertaking and promotes application in other government agencies,

thus, enriching the Public Health Management and its concern.

Scope, Delimitation and Limitation

This research study will highlight the five flagship health programs of the

DepEd’s Oplan Kalusugan sa Department of Education or otherwise known as

OK sa DepEd. The following programs are School-based Feeding Program

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(SBFP), National Drug Education Program (NDEP), Adolescent Reproductive

Health Education (ARH), Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools (WINS) and

Medical, Dental and Nursing Services. Also, the study will evaluate parents’ level

of awareness, understanding and acceptability on these five school health

programs through using survey questionnaire as the main tool in the study.

Respondents of the study will be the three hundred ten (310) parents of the

students in four elementary schools in District II-B in the Division of Cabuyao.

Either the father or the mother will be the parent-respondent of the study.

However, the study is limited to the parents of intermediate students of

the four elementary schools in District II-B in the Division of Cabuyao SY 2019 -

2020. Also, it is important to consider that the respondents is based on their

willingness to participate in the study.

Definition of Terms

The given terms are defined operationally so that the study can be best

understood:

Acceptance. It refers a person's assent to the reality of a situation,

recognizing a process or condition (often a negative or uncomfortable situation)

without attempting to change it or protest it. In this study, it refers to parents’

approval to the different health school programs.

Adolescent Reproductive Health Education. This is the program

provided by the DepEd to give guidance and counselling programs among

students about responsible parenthood and to avoid early pregnancy.

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 Awareness. In this study, it refers to the quality or state of the parents

being aware of and their knowledge about the different health programs

existing in their children’s school.

Medical, Dental and Nursing Services. This refers to the provision of

health services to improve oral health status of students and also on other

health services such as health appraisal, treatment, consultation, and other

health counselling activities to maintain health status of the students.

National Drug Education Program. This refers to the program that is

concerned with dealing with problems about drug abuse.

OK sa DepEd. This is refers to the program stipulated in the Deped

Order No. 28, S. 2018 or the Oplan Kalusugan launched in December 2017,

which is to be implemented to ensure that all school children are provided with

basic primary health and dental care to allow them to attain their full educational

potential.

Program Administrators. In the study, they are composed of school

heads or principals, school health coordinators who oversee the administration

of the OK sa DepEd in the school.

Program Beneficiaries. In this study, the main beneficiaries and also the

coverage of the program are the Kinder to Grade VI-pupils who are under the

OK sa DepEd in the school.

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 School-based Feeding Program. This is also known as SBFP which

refers to the provision of hot meals to the undernourished students from Kinder

to Grade 6 to improve their health status and lessen classroom absences.

School Improvement Plan. It is a three- five year education

development plan that embodies the mission and vision of the school. It includes

objectives, strategies, projects, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of

the plan.

School Health Program. This refers to the organized set of policies,

procedures, and activities designed to protect and promote the health and well-

being of students and staff which has traditionally included health services,

healthful school environment, and health education. In this study the school

health programs includes the five flagship programs of OK sa DepEd such as

School-based Feeding Program (SBFP), National Drug Education Program

(NDEP), Adolescent Reproductive Health Education (ARH), Water, Sanitation

and Hygiene in Schools (WINS) and Medical, Dental and Nursing Services.

Understanding. In this study, it refers to the process through which

parents of different groups acquire the basic habits, attitudes, and mode of life

of an embracing culture. How parents take into their mind and thoroughly

understand the different health school programs.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools. This refers to the

program that focuses on the promotion of a clean and safe school environment

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and correct hygiene practices among students with the inclusion of deworming

activity.

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