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Malnutrition. In view of the difficulty of the present times, special attention has been given to the question of malnutrition. The returns giving the result of the examination of primary-school children for the last nine years show little variation in the percentage of subnormal nutrition noted. These are : 1932, 5-81 ; 1931, 6-68 ; 1930, 6-30 ; 1929, 7-06 ; 1928, 6-84 ; 1927, 7-14 ; 1926, 7-45 ; 1925, 9-21 ; 1924, 5-88. In view of the large number of examinations to which thisjreturn refers (between 60,000 and 70,000 annually) these figures may be regarded as giving a reliable basis for comparison. Any alteration in the personnel of examining Medical Officers has not been sufficient to cause marked variation in the general standard used in estimating nutrition. The same conclusion is arrived at, moreover, by comparing the annual returns of individual School Medical Officers working year after year in the same district. As might be expected, the percentage of primer children suffering from malnutrition is somewhat greater than that of older children : 1932, 8-26 ; 1931, 7-45 ; 1930, 8-01 ; 1929, 8-24 ; 1928, 8-67 ; 1926, 8-39 (1927 not available). To sum up : — (1) Generally speaking, over the Dominion as a whole, there is no evident increase in the percentage of school-children suffering from malnutrition. (2) There is no increase of malnutrition in country districts, where food is readily available and any necessitous case can be readily dealt with locally. (3) Most School Medical Officers state that in the cities a small proportion of children, belonging especially to primer-class age groups, show clinical signs of malnutrition. Food is poor in quality rather than quantity ; deficient in vitamins, first-class protein, and in fat—milk, fresh eggs, butter, fresh vegetables, and meat are lacking. The fundamental necessities for right nurture (food of the right type and amount, adequate sleep and rest, fresh air, sunlight, and wholesome exercise) are as readily available in New Zealand as in any other country. It is the question rather of their right distribution and usage that is of importance. It is impossible to over-emphasize the value of good domestic economy, and the capability of the mother, therefore, is of the greatest importance. Many women use small means intelligently with remarkable success ; others muddle along incompetently whatever their resources. It must not be forgotten that even during times of prosperity a definite percentage of children show evidence of malnutrition. Other factors than the food-supply powerfully influence nutrition. In particular, too little responsibility is assigned to the bad effect of inadequate sleep, and this applies to the well-to-do and poor alike. A sound rule is : Under twelve years, 12 hours' sleep. In comfortable homes talented children are often exploited and overstimulated, and spoiled children are allowed to stay up too late. In the cities poor people crowd together for economy and to secure the maximum amount of warmth in winter. One School Medical Officer states :— " The information collected regarding the home conditions shows that the crowded state of the homes, and the unhygienic conditions under which the children live, and especially sleep, must be largely responsible for their poor physical condition. Another regrettable matter is the late retiring-hours and irregular hours of sleep of so many children. If parents have difficulty in obtaining sufficient and nourishing food for their families, the necessity for conserving physical and nervous energy as much as possible should be obvious. In many cases the difficulty is due to complete lack of parental control." Country children generally, especially from good farming districts, attain a satisfactory standard of growth and health. It has always been noted by School Medical Officers, however, that though their nutrition as a whole compares favourably with that of city children, marked malnutrition may occur in remote country districts. It is a popular fiction that the country child is necessarily possessed of superior advantages. Among the struggling population of the backblocks, houses are often poor and cramped, with sanitation non-existent. In dairying districts children may be employed early and late out-of-doors. Food may be monotonous, hastily prepared, and badly cooked ; it is often deficient in vitamins and in body-building constituents. In New Zealand fresh fruit and vegetables, milk, eggs, and cheese should be readily obtained and widely utilized. The compulsory attention exacted by the share milkers' cows often result in a distaste for milk. Dr. Henderson in his inquiry into the condition of rural school-children found that 10 per cent, of share milkers' children never touched milk. The amount of outside work done by the mother (e.g., share milking) often detracts from her efficiency in the house. Fatigue and isolation, the struggle against poverty and her own limited knowledge depress her further. For such women the telephone and radio, if they can be afforded, are a definite aid to mental and physical health. There are, of course, fortunately in this country, thousands of competent cheerful housewives, whose intelligent management and self-denial are one of its most valuable assets. While all authorities stress the supreme importance of maternal efficiency, the scope of this is necessarily modified by the ability of the father to provide material requirements for his children and in his hands often to an even greater degree than the mother's is the responsibility of directing their abilities and energies. The figures given above refer to subnormal as well as marked malnutrition, and it should be emphasized that the standard used in estimating malnutrition is a high one. Taking the Dominion as a whole, we have every confidence that in growth and development and in freedom from defect and disease, New Zealand children compare favourably with those of other countries. Special measures for maintaining or improving the nutrition of pupils have been inaugurated in many schools throughout the Dominion. The importance of an organized and nutritious school lunch

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