Growth Responses of the School Child to Changes in Diet and Environmental Factors

Abstract

The avg. height and wt. of school boys and girls of 2 groups of different socio-economic status and apparently different genetic origin in Stuttgart, Germany are presented in graphs for the period 1915-1948. Changes in rate of growth with time are shown by joining the data for children of the same age. Approximate rate of growth is presented by joining points for children of the same date of birth. Height is also plotted with wt. for boys and girls and one socio-economic group is plotted with the other for selected ages to show the effect of environment on these factors. Avg. yearly data are given on food available, including individual major vegetables, for 1913, 1932 and 1938. The curves show: (a) a difference in stature between socio-economic groups; (b) boys and girls responded similarly to environmental changes but there were differences in response in the 2 socio-economic groups; (c) boys and girls had similar heights and weights at 7-8 and 10-11 years of age; (d) the rate of change from yr. to yr. was greater in wt. than in height; (e) preadolescent children grew more rapidly from 1915-1926 with a tendency to grow similarly in 1926-1938; (f) with the beginning of World War II a retardation in growth occurred; (g) increased growth occurred in 1945 but was retarded in 1946-1947 following a drought. No data were found on the ultimate effect of variations in preadolescent and adolescent growth on adult stature and no evidence that there was an effect.