The School Child

In this unit the term "school child" refers to children from the age of 7 years to 12 years. You would remember that we had said earlier, that the preschooler grows at a slower rate as compared to the infant. During the school years the rate of growth further slows down. This, however, does not mean that no significant growth occurs. In fact, growth continues at a steady pace. Further, the school years are characterized by an improvement of the functioning of most tissues and organ systems. It is important to emphasize that considerable growth and development of both muscles and bones takes place. This influences nutrient needs as you will study in the subsection on recommended dietary intakes. 

The school years precede adolescence and are, in fact, spent in preparation for it. We mentioned adolescence earlier as a period of very rapid growth. It is important, therefore, that a good foundation is laid during the school years. One way in which we can do this is to provide good food. A satisfactory diet is, as you know, crucial in fostering the optimum growth and development of the child. This aspect has been stressed in every unit of this block because of its great importance. 

Sex differences in growth and development first make their appearance at around the age of 10 years. You already know that weight is a good indicator of growth. So let us study the pattern of weight gain of school boys and girls from the age of 7+ to the age of 12+. This is illustrated in Table

Weights of Well-to-do  Indian  Boys and Girls (7- 12 years) 

Girls, as you would notice, start weighing more than boys at the end of 10 years and they continue to be heavier than them till the early years of adolescence i.e. about the age of 14. The rate of growth in the case of boys is initially slower but picks up later and overtakes that of girls. If we plot weight against age on a graph these differences in growth become clearer

Further, as growth proceeds, there is a gradual tendency for boys to add relatively more muscle tissue and less adipose tissue than girls. In other words, sex influences not just rate of growth but also body composition. It is important to realize that once these sex differences appear, they persist into adulthood as you learnt. 

Besides these features of the school years, one of the most obvious physical occurrences is the shedding of the 'baby' or deciduous teeth and the erupting of permanent teeth. This, is addition to the considerable calcium deposition in the skeleton, would have obvious effects on nutrient needs, as you will see in subsection .

In addition to the need for providing sufficient nutrients to support growth and development, the vigorous physical activity usually characteristic of the school years makes its own demands on the body. Physical activity, as you know, influences energy needs. The child who participates in vigorous sports would obviously need more energy. Attention has also to be paid to the need for increasing fluid intake. Heavy activity means more perspiration and therefore more losses of water and minerals like sodium and potassium.

There is no doubt, therefore, that a satisfactory dietary pattern and food habits help to ensure that the child remains healthy and grows normally.