Parens Patriae: Addressing Maternal and Child Health Disparities in Indigenous Communities in the Philippines

Maternal and Child Health (MCH) supports a broad array of programs to improve the availability and access to high quality preventive and primary health care for mothers and their children. But despite these policies, IPs/ICCs face a myriad of obstacles when accessing public health systems. The study documents and analyzes the maternal and child health practices of Indigenous Peoples in Sitio Bacao, Palayan City and assesses the impacts of such practices on their health status. This study is anchored on Larker’s Maternal and Child Health Theory (1969), supported by Bowby’s Attachment Theory and Ainsworth’s Child Development Theory (1978). The study used the descriptive and ethnographic methods of research. Primary data was collected through key informant interviews with Aeta mothers, survey questionnaires and field observations. Dietary practices of Aeta mothers and their children’s nutrition were triangulated using secondary data, analysis of Rural Health Unit (RHU) records and survey to the availability and utilization of health services and facilities. Socio-demographic profile of the respondents shows significant relation with their maternal and child health practices such age, education, income and geographical location of the respondents. The study argues that there is much to be desired when it comes to the maternal and child health standard of the Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines.