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

INTRODUCTION
The children of today are the generation of tomorrow. Children pass through various
stages in their development. Starting as an embryo in the womb they go through the
fetus, newborn, infant, toddler, preschool, school, adolescent, young adult stages
before finally becoming mature adults. We may broadly recognize 4 phases of child
growth: (i) intra uterine phase and early infancy, conception to 6 months after birth; (ii)
late infancy and early childhood. 6 months to 5 years ; (iii) primary school age, 5-12
years; and (iv) adolescence, 12-18 years; (Gopalan,1993). Each one of these phases
is important and has to be given special attention in order that the child has optimum
growth and development.
In research studies and national programs ir the past, emphasis was laid pnmarily on
one phase or the other to the relative neglect of other phases. There was a time in the
fiflies when school meal programs and school health sewices commanded
considerable attention. The interest in this area of development waned in the sixties
with the emphasis shifting to the preschool children, because the worst forms of
malnutrition and illnesses were seen in them (Gopalan,1993). Therefore, adequate
altention by the various maternal and child health services was given and is still being
given to the child from the time of conception to the age of 6 years. The success of
these services is reflected in the declining infant and child mortality rates. The infant
mortality rate (IMR) In India has fallen from 14711,000 in 1951 to 7911,000 in 1992
(Bhargava.1991; Anonymous,l995).The child mortality rate has fallen from 85.811,000
in 1972 to 33.411,000 in 1992 (Bhargava,l991; Anonymous,l995). A s~m~lar trend has