The Impact of Poverty on
the Access to Healthy
Food Among
Grade- 7 Learners in San
Juan National High School
Conceptual Framework
Figure 1.1 Conceptual Framework for The
Impact of Poverty on the Access to Healthy Food
Among Grade- 7 Learners in San Juan National
High School.
Theoretical
Framework
Figure 2.1 This figure shows the theories about The
Impact of Poverty on the Access to Healthy Food
Among Grade-7 Learners In San Juan National High
School
Review of Related Literature
Poverty is one of the major issues some of the
Grade-7 Learners in San Juan National High School are
facing. This paper describes the interconnection between
malnutrition and poverty, and to highlight how both serve
as the cause and consequence of each other. The paper
also discusses ways to tackle these issues in a parallel
manner rather in separate silos.
According to the study of Maria Rachelle O.
Zubiaga (2024) Nutrition is an essential part of human
life. It refers to the quality and amount of food intake the
body receives. It is the total process involved in how an
organism obtains nutrients and uses them to enable it to
work properly. It is one of the basic needs of every
individual on earth and not possessing proper nutrition
can be terrible.
Whereas, from the study of ADMU (2022) states that
the crisis of hunger and malnutrition has been a
persistent and resounding problem in our country. In
Gawad Kalinga’s 2023 KnK+ Program Brief, they
highlighted how approximately 2-3 million Filipino
families have found themselves experiencing involuntary
hunger on a regular basis for the past 30 years (SWS
Self-Rated Hunger).
They also emphasized how one in every three Filipino
children under 5 years old are stunned and this too
has been going on for the past 30 years (World Bank,
2022) with an estimated up to 95 kids dying of
malnutrition every day (UNICEF, 2021).
Additionally, from the statement of Jacob
Gutierrez (2022), the addition of low-income residents
and less developed areas, the quality of food decreases,
making the poor have to rely on cheap goods like instant
noodles which are cheaper but less nutritious. The
declining health of the poor can also be attributed to the
social factors in play, stated by Natalee Hung and
Lincoln Leehang Lau in BMC public health (2019),
health is often beyond an individual physical state, but
rather, a product of public policies that helps shape what
the people are exposed to.
Moreover, According to J Family Med Prim
Care (2022), healthy nutrition is necessary for people’s
mental health, because of that nutritional habits effect
on school performance. So, a high sugar intake, fat, and
fast food meats have a strong relationship with low
academic performance and lot diseases like metabolic
disease in other researches of the pediatric age group.
Furthermore, a statement stated by Aleah Sandra
D. Gubaten (2023) emphasizes that the impact of
poverty on student’s engagement, motivation, and
academic performance has significant implications for the
educational system. Students who experience poverty
are more likely to face difficulties in academic tasks and
activities, which can result in lower academic
performance and disengagement from school.
Understanding the impact of poverty on student’s
engagement, motivation, and academic performance can
provide insights into possible interventions.
In addition, stated from the study of (Garrido-
Fernandez et al., 2020), regular practice of physical
activity and adequate nutrition are fundamental habits
for improving quality of life and reducing some public
health problems that affect the population worldwide,
such as being overweight and obesity: these problems
are closely related to low-quality diets and sedentary
lifestyles.
Also, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (2011) stated that the report was
developed in response to the long-term and
intermediate outcomes associated with inadequate
physical activity and unhealthy eating. Healthy eating
and physical activity have been associated with
increased life expectancy, increased quality of life, and
reduced risk for many chronic diseases.
Poverty significantly limits access to healthy foods
for some troubled individuals, more specifically the
Grade-7 learners at San Juan National High School,
continually affecting their intake and overall academic
performance. Many students came from families who
struggle to obtain nutritious meals, leading to reliance
on cheaper, unhealthy options that contribute to poor
health outcomes.
The lack of proper nutrition not only limits the
development but also lessen school attendance, focus,
and engagement, creating a cycle of disadvantage.
Interventions like school feeding programs are crucial
to ensure these students receive the necessary
nutrients to thrive academically and socially.
References
Ateneo De Manila University. (2023). SDG 2:
Zero Hunger Report SY 2022-2023. Office of the
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Alqaht Y., Assiri, O. A. A., AI-Shahrani, N.S.S.,
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Garrido-Fernandez, A. Garcia-Padilla, F. M,
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issue-5-may/nutrition-and-academic-achievement-of-
filipino-learners-in-balutakay-elementary-school-east-
district-of-bansalan/
