The health status and related interventions for children left behind due to parental migration in the Philippines: A scoping review

Overseas Filipino Workers are hailed as modern-day heroes who enable their families to climb the socioeconomic ladder. Despite their financial contribution, labour migration often separates children from their parents during their most formative years of growth, threatening healthy development. Using the Joanna Briggs Institute's framework, a scoping review was conducted to identify the health outcomes of left behind children in the Philippines and health-related interventions. In total, 4440 records were collected from peer-reviewed articles and grey literature and 50 records were eligible for inclusion. The findings indicated that left behind children experience a vast range of poor physical (general health, hygiene, illness, and nutrition) and mental (behavioural, cognitive, and emotional) health outcomes. A total of 48 interventions were identified in 13 out of 17 geographic regions. Despite this geographic coverage, the evidence-based literature was limited with regard to whether these interventions have been effective. Additional research is needed to better understand children's health, evaluate existing interventions, and develop multisectoral programming.