SCHOOL AGE

• School-aged children


  • Steady, consistent growth
  • Average growth rate per year: Height - 2–3 inches (5–7 centimeters), Weight - 4.5–6.5 pounds (2–3 kilograms)
• Rate of growth for the extremities

  • Faster than for the trunk, which results in more adult-like proportions
• Long-bone growth


  • Stretches muscles and ligaments, which results in many children experiencing "growing pains," at nighttime
• Increased needs for school-aged children

  • Protein
  • Vitamins
  • Minerals for growth
• School-aged children


  • Active so needs increase calorie allowance
• School-aged children


  • Rapid change in attitude and emotional development
• School-aged children


  • Period when food habits changed due to food preferences
• School-aged children


  • Physical growth, emotional, social and intellectual development is fast
• School-aged children


  • More independent, selective making more vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies
• Energy requirements for school-aged children

  • Girls: 1,200 to 1,800 calories/day
  • Boys: 1,200 to 2,000 calories/day
  • Water: 1000-1500 ml/day
• Macronutrient requirements for school-aged children

  • Carbohydrates: 45–65% daily calories (135–195 grams for 1,200 daily calories), high in fiber
  • Protein: 10–30% of daily calories (30–90 grams for 1,200 daily calories), to support muscle growth and development
  • Fat: 25–35% of daily calories (33–47 grams for 1,200 daily calories), fatty acids are needed to support growth
• Children should get 17–25 grams of fiber per day
• Micronutrient needs for school-aged children


  • Micronutrient needs should be met with foods first
  • High in iron, such as lean meats, legumes, fish, poultry, and iron-enriched cereals
  • Adequate fluoride is crucial to support strong teeth
  • Adequate calcium and vitamin D intake needed to build dense bones and a strong skeleton
• Factors influencing food intake in school-aged children

  • Family environment
  • Societal trends
  • Taste preferences
  • Messages in the media
• Television commercials can entice children to consume sugary products, fatty fastfoods, excess calories, refined ingredients, and sodium
• Management of school-aged children's nutrition

  1. Parents should direct children toward healthy choices

  2. Make meal- and snack time fun and interesting (cut sandwiches, meats, or pancakes into small or interesting shapes)

  3. Include children in food planning and preparation

  4. Educate children about kitchen safety

  5. Offer nutritious desserts, such as fresh fruits
• Studies showed that children who eat family meals on a frequent basis consume more nutritious food
• Management of eating too little (pre-schooler)

  1. Go slow in adding new foods

  2. Serve less than what he will eat

  3. Prepare simple dishes
• Management of eating too much (pre-schooler)


  Refrain serving cakes, pastries, pies, ice creams, sweet foods
• Management of dawdling during mealtime (pre-schooler)

  1. Avoid nagging

  2. Let enjoy eating
• Management of picky eating (pre-schooler)

  1. Ensure that mealtimes are calm and free from distractions like TV or toys

  2. Introduce New Foods Gradually: Offer new foods alongside familiar favorites. It can take multiple exposures (up to 15 or more) before a child might accept a new food

  3. Involve in Food Preparation: Let your child help with meal preparation, like washing vegetables or setting the table
• Management of child gagging when fed coarse (pre-schooler)

  1. Encourage self feeding and chew food slowly

  2. Put in well ventilated bright clean eating place

  3. Provide colorful plate
• Management of aversion towards some food (pre-schooler)

  1. Give fruits as substitutes in case child would refuse eating vegetables

  2. Mix vegetables with familiar foods like noodles, eggs or stuffing them inside

  3. Give milk through breakfast cereals
• Psychological factors in feeding the school age child

  • More confident, expresses own food choice
  • Strong urge to eat what his friends eat
• Goals of school feeding

  • To furnish wholesome food at lowest reasonable cost
  • To aid in strengthening nutrition and health education program of public school
  • To foster proper eating habits
• Food preferences of school age child

  • Child has more likes and dislikes
  • Wants simple and plain dishes
• Feeding problems in school age children

  • Inadequate meals (breakfast missed or hurriedly eaten)
  • Poor appetite
  • Sweet tooth
  • Food refusal
• Inadequate meals (breakfast missed or hurriedly eaten)

  Causes: Late bed raiser, Arrival of school bus, Fear of being late to school, Morning rush preparing oneself for school
• Poor appetite


  Causes: Demanding schoolwork, assignments, Tiring extracurricular activities, New outdoor experiences, Soft drinks, chips in school
• Sweet tooth


  Causes: Parents give sweets as reward, Hungry growing bodies recognize need for extra calories
• Food refusal


  Causes: Sensory aversions, medical issues (e.g., allergies, gastrointestinal problems), psychological factors
• Management of food refusal

  1. Offer Diverse Foods: Introduce a variety of foods and ensure meals are balanced with different food groups

  2. Avoid forcing children to eat or punishing them for not eating

  3. Start with small portions and allow children to ask for more if they are still hungry

  4. Educate about nutrition
• Food allergy


  Occurs when a protein in food triggers an immune response, which results in the release of antibodies, histamine, and other defenders that attack foreign bodies
• Common allergenic foods


  • Peanuts
  • Milk
  • Eggs
  • Soy
  • Wheat
  • Shellfish
• Food allergy symptoms


  • Itchy skin, hives, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea
• Anaphylaxis


  A serious and life-threatening allergic reaction resulting in difficulty breathing, swelling in eyes, the mouth and throat, decreased blood pressure, shock, or even death
• Triggering foods for anaphylaxis

  • Milk
  • Eggs
  • Wheat
  • Soybeans
  • Fish
  • Shellfish
  • Peanuts
• Drug for anaphylactic shock

  EPINEPHRINE
• Lactose intolerance


  Child experience an adverse reaction to the lactose in milk products, due to the small intestine's inability to produce enough of the enzyme lactase
• Symptoms of lactose intolerance

  • Bloating
  • Abdominal pain
  • Gas
  • Nausea
  • Diarrhea