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Show PROBLEM OF THE UNDERNOURISHED CHILD IS SERIOUS Estimated to Include From 15 to Z5 Per Cent of All Children-Medicos Children-Medicos Investigate Utah, like every other state of the Union, is now today facing a serious problem that of tho undernourished child. Tho percentage of those children child-ren who enter into this problem is large and a conservative estimate would bo from lfi per cent. This mcuns thnt from 15 to 25 per cent of our children may be stinted in growth, may bo suffering from anemia, nervousness, ner-vousness, irritability and diminished energy. These children have an increased in-creased susceptibility and n greater lack of resistance to such diseases as measles, whooping cough, scarlet fever, tuberculosis and intestinal diseases dis-eases and less likely to recover their full vigor at all, than well nourished children. Especially is this true of tuberculosis. Results Permanent "It is often carlessly said of seriously ser-iously underweight children "Oh, they will outgrow it.'' But .often theso children grown into men nnd women are handicapped by low vitality and a poorly developed body. Undernourishment is now known to be responsible for many cases of poor mental development, to such an extent ex-tent that in some serious cases it is difficult to distinguish this backwardness backward-ness from actual mental defect. Such children when given proper nourishment nourish-ment nro found tjJ;e easier to teach, to havo greater power of attention and concentration, and to do bettiv school work as indicated by higher grades. Tho school lunch is one method of meeting this problem of undernourishment. undernour-ishment. Tho two most common types of school lunches are the lunch served at the morning nnd afternoon recesses nnd the hot noon lunch. The great value of school lunches in meeting this serious problem of undernourishment under-nourishment is now unquestioned. In several of our counties the schools, through tho Parent-Teacher Association and other agencies are meeting in part tho situation. The Public health nurses of tho Utah Public Pub-lic Health Association together with the school nurses and health supervisors super-visors will co-operate and do everything every-thing possible to help. The extension department of the co-operating and is working hard to spread the gospel of school lunches nnd proper food for the school child. . , . |