indian council of medical research - Pondicherry University DSpace ...

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
8.1 Summary
8.1. f Objectlves, methodology and study area
This comprehensive case study was a~med at assessing the health, education and
social status of school age children w~th emphasis on the girl child. The various Issues
addressed under the health component were, nutrition, spectrum of illnesses and their
causes in school age children, and health seeking patlern. As regards education, the
aspects addressed were, importance of education, school absenteeism, and school
dropout Under the social component, gender preference in having children, nutrition
and health care to the girl child, education and the girl child, daily activity pattern in
ch~ldren, influence of menarche on the girl ch~ld, and marriage were considered
Analysis included the cost involved in household consumption, givlng health care and
education to children, and celebrating tmportant soc~al functions like attainment of
puberty, maniage and first childbirth to a girl in the family.
While school age was defined to be between 5-15 years of age, the girl child was
considered to be between 5-20 years of age as per the defin~tion In the Nat~onal
workshop on the girl child (Mukhejee,l991).
Most of the data were collected from Kedar, a village in Villupuram district, state of
Tamil Nadu, South India. The total population of the vlllage was 3,068 w~th a sex ratio
of 1,004. Of the village population, 21.8% was between 515 yean of age. The
villagers were mostly landless agricultural laborers, cultivators and weaven. Additional