Clinical Assessment

Side 2

The Republic of the Philippines is in the Western Pacific ocean. The Philippines is a varied culture in terms of language, religion, and ethnicity. It has a population of more than 90 million people with a growth rate of 2% annually. The Philippines is essentially a melting pot as a majority of the peoples are of Malayo-Polynesian decent, along with Chinese, Spanish, and American. Most Filipinos have a Spanish surname and perhaps an ancestor or two.

Magellan declared the Philippines for Spain in 1521 and it was held by Spain until the Spanish-American war, at which time in 1898 it became an American colony. On July 4, 1946 the Republic of the Philippines was formed with its own American-style democracy

The primary languages in the Philippines are Filipino and English with more than 180 languages and dialects with Tagalog being a primary dialect (Szczpanski).

Slide 3

In 1974, a bilingual English and Filipino program was adopted in the school system (Philippines - Education- Country Studies). English is one of the primary languages in the Philippines and is used for “educational, governmental and commercial purposes and is widely understood since it is the medium of instruction in schools” (Philippines - Language, Culture, Customs, and Etiquette).

Because of the Spanish occupation, the majority of the Philippines are Roman Catholic, and other religions represented are Islam and other Christian denominations.

Slide 4

Protein energy malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies continue to be the leading nutritional problems. Approximately “4 million of the pre-school population were found to be underweight-for-age, 3 million adolescents and 5 million adults, including older persons were found to be underweight and chronically energy deficient, respectively.

Vitamin A status in the country is considered severe, affecting children 6 months to 5 years and pregnant women. Iron deficiency anemia is the most alarming of the micronutrient deficiencies affecting a considerable proportion of infants, pregnant women, lactating women and male older persons.

Overweight and obesity are also prevalent, affecting a good proportion of children, adolescents and adults which predispose them to health risks. Evidence of this is in the prevalence of diseases of the heart and vascular system.

The typical Filipino diet has been found to be grossly inadequate for energy and other nutrients” (Nutrition country profiles: Philippines summary).

Slide 5

“The family social structure includes the nuclear family, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and honorary relations such as godparents, sponsors, and close family friends.