Evening star., 1924-11-09
CHILD NUTRITION
WORK VALUABLE
Department of Labor Reports
Results of Survey of
School Methods.

Nutrition work for pre-school chill
dren in nine cities and three rural
communities has been studied by the
|hildren's Bureau of the United
States Department of Labor, and is
described in the bureaus latest report
Boston, Chicago. Cleveland. Detroit
Kansas City. Mo-; New York, Phila-
delphia, St. Louis and Utica, were the
cities included in the investigation:
Macon County, Ala; Mississippi Coun-
ty. Ark; Wavne County, Mich, were
the three rural sections included. The
investigation was conducted primarily
for the purpose of discovering and
comparing the methods used by the
different cities and counties in nutri-
ton work for young chi dren between
babyhood and school age.
After discussing methods used to
BRING mothers to the health CEN
for their pre-school children, to ex-
anime and supervise the -schoo'
child and to correct his physical de-
fects, the. Children's Bureau report
sums up as follows:
Has Three Responsibilities.
"G A health center that under
takes the care of pre-. .School children
'as three responsibilities: Educa-
-ional, to educate the parents in the
community as to the health neers of
the pre-schoo' children; supervisory,
to provide general health supervision
for as large a number of school
children as possible; corrective, to
provide instruction in clinics and in
home visits that will help to over
:ome poor health and living habits
and to give parents advice and assist
ance in securing the correction of
defects that need medical care.
"(2) The wide variation in the fire.
quency and regularity of the attend
ance of mothers of pre-school chill
iren in different centers indicates
the need for a closer study Of the
actors that influence non-attend-
ance.
'(8 Food instruction is the type
of corrective work most generally
,rovided for pre-School children, al
though the correction OF poStura de-
,cct.: and of wrong mental attitudes
and bad habits is receiving an in
:reasing amount of emphasis in 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.
"(5) The use of specialized work
er for nutrition cases seems desirable.
Worker Is Teacher.
"(6) The nutrition worker is pri-
marily a 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. Spe-
ia1 frnj njr,iy io1
quirement for such a worker, as she
must be able to analyZe and give ad-
vice as to the family dietary.
go There is much difference of
opinion among nutrition workers as
to the relative value of the home or
a clinic as the place in which nutri-
tion work should be done. There is
need of demonstration as to the
comparative cost and effectiveness of
using the home or the center as the
place for each type of activity un-
dertaken by a nutrition worker.
''(3) A formal class method of con-
Quoting nutrition work was seldom
used for preschool children. Advice
usually was given to the mothers
individually, though group instruc-
ton was used in q few centers.
Group instruction of some kind
should be made a definite part of a
nutrition program. Demonstrations
of food preparation and selection
given in the center for groups of
mothers and preschool children are
of the greatest value in stimulating
the interest of the mothers and in
initiating a liking for new foods.
"l9 Carefully taken habit and food
histories and record of the varia-
tions in the child's weight are the
facts on which a nutrition worker
ment that she gives to a mother 1t
is important that all these facts about
child should be secured and record
ed at sufficiently close, intervals to
give an accurate picture of his condi-
ton and to show his progress.
"G0) In the rural districts visited
nutrition teaching was centered in
the schools. This school work was
used as a means of creating an in
terest in the needs of the preschool
children as well as the school chill
dren. Health teaching in the schools
IS an important factor in a health
program for rural communities. 1t
should serve not only to encourage
the formation of good health habits
among the school children, but also
to create and maintain interest in a
broader county or State plan, which
would provide medical supervision for
both school and preschool children
in rural districts"
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