The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1924-11-15

Children's Bureau Of the U. S. De-
partment Of Labor, and Is described
in the Bureaus latest report.
Boston. Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit,
Kansas City, Mo-, New York, Phil
adeIphia, St. Louis and Utica. were
the cities included in the investiga-
ton; Macon County, Ala, Mississippi
County, Arkansas, Wayne County,
Michigan, were the three rural sec
tons included. Nutrition work is in
terpreted as any systematic and con-
crete instruction given under medical
supervision to a child or to its parents
that has as its purpose the correction
Of all the conditions that have inter
fered with the normal growth and de-
velopment Of the child" The investi-
cation was conducted primarily for
the purpose Of discovering and com,
pairing the methods used BY the diff
ferent cities and counties in nutrition
work for young children between
babyhood and school age
Work of this kind for the preschool
child was being carried on BY many
public and private agencies in the
cities visited, while in the rural dis
tricts it was largely centered in the
schools. One city agency aimed to
provide on a. city-wide plan for peri
odic medical examination Of the 10000
babies and preschool children Of the
city. but did not provide corrective
care. Four agencies planned to pro-
vide medical supervision and correc-
tive care for children within certain
districts. Eight agencies provided
medical supervision and corrective
care for children brought voluntarily
to health centers throughout the city.
Twelve agencies provided such care
for children brought voluntarily to
health centers in a limited district.
Most agencies found that while the
mothers return regularly to the cen
tiers for examination and advice as to
the care Of their babies, there is not
the same appreciation Of the impor-
lance Of scientific care OF older chill
dren.
After discussing methods used to
bring mothers to the health centers,
to teach them standards of care for
their preschool children, to examine
and supervise the preschool child and
to correct his physical defects, the
Children's Bureau report sums up as
Cd "A health center that under
takes the care Of preschool children
has three primary responsibilities:
Educational, to educate the parents in
the community as to the health needs
Of their preschool children; super
visory, to provide general health su-
pervison for as large number Of pre-
school children as possible; correc-
tive. to- provide instruction n clinics
and in home visits that will help to
overcome poor health and living
habits, and to give parents advice and
assistance in securing the correction
Of defects that need medical care.
~ The wide variation in the fire.
quency and regularity Of the attend
ance Of mothers Of preschool children
ii different centers indicates the need
for closer study Of the factors that
influence nonattendance.
l3) Food instruction is the type of
corrective work most generally pro
vided for preschool children, although
the correction Of postural defects and
Of wrong mental attitudes and bad
habits Is receiving an increasing
amount Of emphasis il some health
centers.
(4) The excellent results secured
BY centers that have undertaken to
give intensive care during a definite
period to children needing corrective
work indicate the desirability Of
greater use Of this method.
80 The use Of a specialized work
er for nutrition cases seems desirable
When there Us only one nutrition
worker On the staff Of an organization
the influence Of her work viii be more
far-reaching ii she cares for only
few special nutrition cases and devotes
most Of her time to a general educa-
tionaI program
t6) The nutrition worker is pri-
marily teacher, and her success will
be in proportion to her ability to in
terest the women with whom she
works and to stimulate the formation
Of good food and health habits.
Special food training is an essential
requirement for such a worker. as she