PROPAGATION OF UNDERUTILIZED PLANTS TO ADDRESS IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA IN SCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

The context of this study focused on the underutilized plants such Basella alba Linn. (alugbati),
Momordica charantia L. (ampalayang ligaw), Amaranthus viridis (kulitis), Corchorus olitorious L.
(saluyot) and Talinum triangulare Willd. (talinum) to be an organic agent in addressing iron
deficiency anemia caused by malnutrition and poor body mass index status. The research
problem determined how schools and community could promote the propagation and
consumption of underutilized plants to address iron deficiency anemia among students.
Guided with the mentioned problem, multiple methods such as survey, observations, interviews,
picture taking and other field works were applied in order to gather substantial data. As a result,
it has found that student informants had moderate awareness on the alugbati, saluyot,
ampalayang ligaw, kulitis, and talinum as underutilized plants with the school community prior
to the implementation of the plant propagation campaign. Most of the students were slightly
aware on the benefits of the underutilized plants can offer and serve to their health and body as
a whole. School and community may implement the advocacy of propagation of underutilized
plants as a campaign to address the iron deficiency anemia among school children with the
collaboration of the school principal, teachers as well as parents. As the objectives of this campaign, the cooperation of the school principal and teachers, following ethical considerations
for the parents and students, the researcher also assures the participants that the plants to be
used in the campaign were all safe to eat, identified and certified by the Bureau of Plant and
Industry, through various solutions such as feeding program and Gulayan sa Bakuran, the body
mass index of the student-informants was improved and normalized after the implementation
of the propagation of the underutilized plants. The body mass index from baseline to end-line
was decreased into comparable improvement of 2 to almost 5 percent of the number of
students with severely wasted status among the three schools.