Effectiveness of the School-Based Feeding Program on Nutritional Status of Elementary Learners in Tangub City Division: A Quantitative Analysis of Baseline and Endline Assessments of SY 2023-2026

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) in improving the nutritional status of learner-beneficiaries in the Tangub City Division across three consecutive school years (2023–2024, 2024–2025, and 2025–2026). A quantitative, one-group pre-test post-test design was employed using secondary data from existing DepEd records, including baseline and endline nutritional assessments of SBFP beneficiaries. The nutritional status of learners was classified into five categories: Severely Wasted, Wasted, Normal, Overweight, and Obese. Data were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, means, standard deviations, Chi-Square tests, and Cramer's V for effect sizes, with all statistical computations performed using JAMOVI.
The findings revealed that the SBFP consistently improved the nutritional status of learners across all three school years. The proportion of learners with normal nutritional status increased from 80.49% to 86.23% in SY 2023–2024, from 67.18% to 94.89% in SY 2024–2025, and from 69.06% to 87.61% in SY 2025–2026. Chi-Square tests confirmed that these improvements were statistically significant (p<0.05 across all years), with Cramer's V effect sizes ranging from 0.18 to 0.29, indicating small to moderate practical impacts. All grade levels from Kindergarten to Grade 6 showed significant improvements, with Kindergarten learners demonstrating the largest gains (+27.2 percentage points, Cramer's V=0.31). Both male and female learners benefited significantly, with females showing marginally greater improvements. The prevalence of overweight and obese learners remained consistently low and stable, indicating that the SBFP improved nutrition without contributing to overnutrition.
The study concludes that the School-Based Feeding Program is an effective intervention for improving the nutritional status of learners in Tangub City Division, with the strongest impact observed among younger learners and during the school year with the highest baseline malnutrition rates. The findings support the continued implementation and strengthening of the SBFP as a key strategy for addressing child malnutrition in the Philippines, consistent with the EDCOM II recommendation to prioritize nutrition interventions as a foundation for addressing the national learning crisis. Recommendations include sustaining the program, providing targeted support for Grade 1 learners, strengthening parental engagement, and allocating local government funds through the Special Education Fund to support SBFP implementation.

School-Based Feeding Program, nutritional status, severely wasted

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