FOOD OF RURAL CHILDREN 



10.5 



of presentation has been adopted, in order that the refinements of method 

 may not exceed the refinements of accuracy in the foundation data. 



On the other hand, the nunxbers included in the study are sufficient to miil<e 

 certain trends stand out clearly. The general or customary- practices of the 

 two groups of children, from Carver and Southwick, become quite apparent 

 and, so far as health status could be evaluated, there is a well-defined rela- 

 tion between the food habits and the health of the groups. 



The treatment of the material relating to food habits is necessarily qualita- 

 tive. With the single exception of milk, it was futile to attempt, in a survey 

 of this sort, the collection of quantitative data. For example, most of the 

 mothers interviewed knew very well how often they usually had meat during 

 the week; but had no idea of how much each child ate. The same thing is 

 true of the other foods. Milk is the only one about which these women were 

 accustomed to thinking in terms of quantity. 



However, it is believed, from personal observation of meals, that, in gen- 

 eral, the sizes of servings of different articles of the diet, such as potatoes, 

 other cooked vegetables, bread and cereals, and pieces of pie or cake, did not 

 vary much from family to family; and that the frequency with which a given 

 food appeared on the family menu may be considered a rough indication of 

 the amounts eaten by individual children. It is upon this basis that scores 

 have been used to compare the food habits of one child with those of another. 



The Optimum Score 



For the diet during the school period, i. e., from six years of age upwards, 

 the following numerical allowances were allotted to the types of food in- 

 dicated: 



Food 

 Milk 



Vegetal)les 

 potato 



other than potato 

 or leafy 



leafy 



Fruit 



cooked 



raw (or raw vegetable 

 or canned tomato) 



Bread and cereals 



whole grain 



fEggs 

 (Meat 



Coffee or tea 



Standard 

 1 qt. a day 



once a day 



Optimum score 

 24 



