Growth Performance and Secular Trends among School Children of Coimbatore

Abstract

School children form an important vulnerable segment of population and constitute 20 per cent of total population in India as per the census report (1981). School age is a dynamic period of physical growth and development along with mental, emotional and social changes Survey data in India show that a considerable proportion of school children are malnourished and have a decreased growth rate. These school children have just managed to survive severe malnutrition in early childhood and carry scar of bitter nutritional experiences of their early childhood. They manifest nutritional deficiency diseases, growth retardation general lack of concentration and high susceptibility to infectious diseases. The internecine struggle between the inherent velocity to grow and a deterring hostile environment ultimately retards these children from growing into adulthood.