Introduction

Health is not just the absence of illness or infirmity, but also a complete condition

of physical, mental, and social well-being (WHO 1948). Health is an adjustment, not a

condition. It is a process rather than a state. The process makes people more suited to

both our physical and social environments (US PRESIDENT COMMISION ON

HEALTH, 1953). Although the ideal concept would be for everyone to live a healthy

lifestyle, the world is evident that this is difficult to achieve. The leading causes of

worldwide deaths are diseases which the researchers believe can be prevented

(Grifantini, 2010). Simply, health is a necessary commodity to carry out everyday tasks,

and if one would like to carry out a task well, one needs to have a healthy mind, body

and soul (World Health Organization, 1948).

Malnutrition is a condition that results from deficiencies, excesses or imbalances

in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients (WHO, 2016). The term malnutrition

covers two broad groups of conditions. One is ‘under nutrition’— which includes stunting

(low height for age), wasting (low weight for height), underweight (low weight for age)

and micronutrient deficiencies or insufficiencies (a lack of important vitamins and

minerals). The other is overweight, obesity and diet-related no communicable diseases

(such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer). However according to Anderson

AS, Anil Ray (2012), William Blake (2004), Hossain M, Massan MQ, Rahman MH, Kabir

AR, (2009), Malnutrition can also occur when an individual’s diet does not provide

him/her with adequate calories and proteins needed for maintenance and growth or they

cannot fully utilize the food they eat due to illness (under nutrition), while those who

suffer from over nutrition consumes too much calories. Malnutrition is not exclusively a

problem of extreme poverty, nor only of the young, but affects all communities around

the world and people of all ages including pregnant women. Globally, Malnutrition is

regarded as the most important risk factor for illness and death and it is associated with

52.5% of all deaths in young children (Müller O, Krawinkel M, 2005). According to

UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank, out of the 161 million under-fives estimated to be

stunted globally in 2013, over a third resided in Africa. It is considered as a major cause

of child morbidity and mortality globally. There are several interventions to prevent the

condition, but it is unclear how well they are taken up by both malnourished and well-

nourished children and their mothers and the extent to which this is influenced by socio-

economic factors (Tette, E. M., Sifah, E. K., & Nartey, E. T, 2015). Even though there

has been significant progress in eradicating hunger and poverty, nearly 800 million

people globally still go hungry every day. Rural communities experience issues with
food insecurity and malnutrition as a result of a pattern of ingrained spatial disparities.

Traditional sectoral agricultural and food policies frequently ignore such territorial

discrepancies, making them unlikely to be sufficient to achieve the 2030 sustainable

development objective of eradicating hunger and ensuring food security for all (Cistulli,

V., M. Heikkilä and R. Vos, 2016).

The global community recognized that Malnutrition is an issue that requires

serious action. Malnutrition has been a problem for mankind for a very long time; since

the beginning of mankind we have been struggling not to be malnourished. The history

of this disease can be traced back as far as cave man. Everyday many people die; one

of those people dies from malnutrition. Generally, a lot of people are jobless and can’t

eat three times a day nor cannot eat at all.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine the Perceived lifestyle of malnourished students of Alicia

National High School:

1. What is the Socio-demographic profile of the respondents in terms of

a) Sex,

b) Age,

c) Economic Status

d) Address

e) Parent’s occupation

f) Number of family members

2. What is the student perception regarding their health and proper nutrition?

3. How does the student describe their diet?

4. What type of food the students at Alicia National High School usually eat?

5. What recommendations can be made to help them prevent malnutrition?

Conceptual Framework

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

Profile of malnourished Data collection of
students according to: patients’ profile
Assess students’ in Alicia
a. Sex A. Students’ National High School
b. Age perspective about perception about health.
c. Address health
d. Parents questionnaire Recommendations of
occupation B. Adherence to possible strategies that
e. Number of family Health perception might help future
members questionnaire malnourished students
f. Economic status
Formulation and
validation of
questionnaires

Data analysis
Assumption of the Study

The research study is based on the assumption that respondents will be truthful in answering
the questionnaires, and that the data acquired by the researchers will be accurate and reliable for
correlation. Furthermore, the research study is seen to be timely relevant to the respondents, resulting
in an output that provides a foundation of information to the question.