Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1923-11-01
MANY DEFECTIVE
CHILDREN FOUND
Government Bureau Reports on
Study Of 6,015 of Pre- School
Age at Gary, Ind.

Washington.-Large percentages Of
undernourishment and physical de-
Facts were found in a group Of 6.016
yeunS children Of Gary. Ind, studied
~ the Omitted States Department Of
Aoay through the childrsn's bureau.
1hs Gary study is the first investiEa-
tion by the bureau Of the neglected
age Of ildhood"-between babyhood
and school.
Two reports have been written on
the results Of this study. The first.
called physical Status Of Prs-School
Children" was issued last year. The
second, called Children of Pre- s-School
Age In Gary, Ind.," and dealing with
general child welfare conditions, espe.
etally nutrition, Is now in press.
Results Of the second study show
the poverty Of diet among nearly all
the children.
Diets Of Children CLASSIFIED.
The diets of 6O15 children, all from
two to seven years, were classified into
hve groups, A, B, c, D and E, accord
ing to their adequacy and suitability
Tor children of these years. Of the
"A" diet the report says:
"The a diet is not one difficult Of
attainment. 1t is merely any diet
capable Of meeting the body's needs
and administered with some consider
alton for the child's age and develop
ment. Moreover, such diet need not
be an expensive one-milk, whole
cereal. and fruit or vegetable daily be-
ing sufficient to allow a diet to qualify
In this groAp-and 1t is the easiest
possible kind Of diet to prepare. This
being the case 1t might be expected
; that the large majority Of the children
would fall into the "A diet group.
"These facts Notwithstanding, only
Is Of the 8.0B children-less than half
: Of 1 per ceAt of the total number
were thus fortunate. Furthermore,
!; the number clasbed "a having b diets
(probab2y adequate IN food require
ments though unsuitable in character
and incl4fing bat a pint Of milky was
likewise small, amounting to S.5 per
cent OF the whole group Less than 10
per cent Of the children studied, In
other words, were receiving diets
which appeared adequate to their
needs. Almest three times this num-
Der (20.2 per cent? had diets (C)
whose adequacy was highly question
able; and nearly two-thirds Of the en-
tire group (6O.5 per cent? were found
to have diets plainly incapable of Gov
ering all their bodily requirements,
5S4 per cent being in the D group and
| 21 per cent 6 times the percentage of
As) in the extremely inadequate e
group"
Foods Analysed In Detail.
The report analyses in detail the use
Of certain staple foods among the chill
dren, for instance:
i Only 1879 per cent Of all the chill
dren were getting a pint Of milk q
day and 57.2 per cent had no milk al
all to drink Two-thirds of the entire
group were found to drink coffee
habltually and 40 per cent to have II
more than once day.
Milk is not the only desirable food
which was little used" the report
! states, "since vegetables, fruits, cereals
, and eggs were likewise conspiouously
lacking.
= The extreme poverty Of the diet
Is further shown by the fact that near
ly half (45.5 per cent) Of them Lacked
as many as four of the foods usually
included in a child's diet"
Slightly over half of the childreg
studied were given physical examtna
tions; 64.7 per cent were found b
have decayed teeth. and 14.9 per cen
had bone defects which are the resul
of deficiency diet. Only As per cen
had no defects at all. Over third hat
more than five distinct physical de
fects. Children with adequate diet
(classed as A and By made a bette
showing than the rest Of the group
Over four times as high a percentag
Of these children were free from dc
fects as of the children receiving de
ficient diets (classed as D and E).
The report also analyses other coz
ditions affecting children of this age
including community conditions, chill
care and hygiene, and dental care.
Find Childs Death Was