Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-11-29
LEARN TO EAT
One-thifd of All School Children Are
Under Weight.
SAME CONDITIONS AMONG ADULTS
Many Causes for Underweisht-Condi-
ton Exists Among the Rich as Well
as the Poor.
BY Frederick J. Haskin.


being appreciated. While New York i:
trting 10 reduce some of its fattest la
dies to pleasant curves, cities in differ
ent parts of the country are beginning
10 take an interest in their too thin and
too fat children.
The fat ladies' reduction class is an
interesting experiment. Nutrition class
es for school children have been care
fully tried out and are found practical
and successful AS a result they are
attracting wide attention. Not onl!
are progressive cities installing these
classes in their schools, but the entire
state of New Hampshire has been or
ganized to fight malnutrition in lts
children. DR.. Wi'liam r. P. Emerson
expert on child nutrition, is visiting
San Francisco, Los Angeles and other
cities at their request to hold instl-
tutes and explain methods of reducing
the large number of cases of this DIS
ease
That malnutrition is a disease, that II
is an insidious drain on the strength OF
MANY people who are unaware that
they are physically below par, is the
opinion of nutrition experts. Ihey
have found by tests that about one
third of the children in the average
school are per cent or more unoer
weight. In other words, many children
are not growing at the normal rate
The result is a droopy condition OF
mind and body instead of alertness.
Nor is our adult population free from
this underweight condition. No organ
lied effort is being made to bring the
adults of a city up to normal weight
1t is interesting to note, however, that
nj a normal school where the student
teachers were weighed and measured
all but seven in a class of 200 were un-
derweight per cent or more.
Another surprising fact, which eX-
periments have shown, is that manu-
triton occurs with about equal ire
ouency in homes of rich and poor
white and colored, foreign-born ana
native stock.
Malnutrition is not, generally, caused
bv lack of food on the table. Many
woman is underweight because she
worries and loses sleep over grocery
bills, just as children have been found
TO stop gaining because they worried
over examination marks or uncomfort-
able Clothes.
Causes of Underweight.
The most frequent contributing
causes of malnutrition are found TO be
bad diet, physical defects, bad habits
and. in children, lack Of home control.
Each case is complex and each case is
different. With the children the con-
dition is attacked by organizing class
es and giving each member indivlduai
instructions as we'll as the class talks
on health. A doctor and trained nu'r-
ton worker preside over these classes.
Each member of the class is put into
health training" just as college STU
dents train for an athletic event.
Rochester has established S6 nutri-
ton workers and school doctors work
ing under the department of physical
training. Chicago has had classes Tor
three years.
Washington is starting on its second
wear with twelve demonstration class
es. Experiments made last year con-
ynced the Washington school author
ties who were interested in the value
of the work. The city hopes that con-
eress will soon make it possible for
nutrition class to be established in each
school building, so that every under
weight or overweight child can be ed
ucated as to the importance Of normal
growth.
The classes in this city, which are
similar to those in other cities, are held
once a week in school time. Where
ONLY a few test classes can be held,
number of pupils are weighed ana
measured and the extreme cases are
selected for the training. Each OF
these children is examined physically
preferably in the presence OF parents
Physical defects are noted. Diseased
tonsils, decaying teeth, or adenoids may
be the main reason why the child does
not gain. AS he cannot hope to gam
normally with any defect which draws
upon his strength, the child and his
parents are urged TO cooperate in hav-
ing defects removed.
An attempt is also made to hnd ou'
how the child lives at home, and to gel
him to change any habits that obvious
" keep him from growing. One child
told of reading stories regularly in bed
until after midnight. Another drank
two cups of coffee with each meal. A
girl belonged to half dozen clubs
each requiring hard work outside OF
school hours for drives and sales. AND
a boy ate too little because he had
heard ii said that he would probab
grow UP to DC fat like his father.
Value Of Rest.
With such hindrances removed, the
pupil is in better condition to beglr
training for health. One important
rule for the underweight child II