London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Croydon 1972
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Croydon]
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13
Psychological Defects
The number of referrals to the Child Guidance Clinic of children with behaviour
difficulties of some kind continues to increase. As will be seen from
the account of the Clinic's work in Part II of the Report, the waiting list at
the end of the year has unfortunately lengthened again.
Nutrition
Average heights and weights of all age groups of school children
measured have reached a plateau over the last few years after rising
steadily since the end of the last war.
Table 7.
| Ages | Number Examined In 1972 | Average Height in Inches | Average Weight in lbs. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 1971 | 1970 | 1969 | 1939 | 1972 | 1971 | 1970 | 1969 | 1939 | ||
| BOYS | |||||||||||
| 5 years | 1,054 | 43.3 | 43.5 | 43.4 | 43.2 | 41.8 | 43.2 | 43.4 | 43.1 | 42.9 | 41.5 |
| 6 years | 845 | 44.0 | 44.6 | 43.9 | 43.9 | 43.8 | 44.8 | 44.9 | 44.4 | 44.0 | 43.4 |
| 14 years | 196 | 64.3 | 64.1 | 64.2 | 64.0 | 59.0 | 113.5 | 113.5 | 116.9 | 112.5 | 90.8 |
| I5 years | 450 | 66.1 | 65.9 | 67.0 | 66.3 | - | 122.2 | 122.7 | 123.7 | 125.9 | - |
| 16 years | 180 | 67.0 | 66.7 | 67.5 | 67.7 | - | 129.7 | 129.3 | 133.4 | 133.6 | - |
| 17 years | 19 | 68.7* | 68.6* | 69.0* | 68.8 | - | 133.4* | 149.3* | 141.4* | 134.9 | - |
| GIRLS | |||||||||||
| 5 years | 956 | 43.2 | 43.1 | 43.2 | 43.1 | 41.2 | 42.4 | 42.2 | 42.5 | 41.9 | 39.7 |
| 6 years | 912 | 43.7 | 43.9 | 43.9 | 43.5 | 42.7 | 43.6 | 43.4 | 43.9 | 43.4 | 41.4 |
| 14 years | 197 | 62.5 | 62.6 | 62.4 | 62.3 | 60.3 | 115.4 | 114.5 | 112.5 | 114.4 | 97.9 |
| 15 years | 307 | 63.2 | 63.8 | 63.2 | 63.5 | 62.0 | 118.3 | 119.6 | 120.1 | 120.6 | 105.5 |
| 16 years | 110 | 63.8 | 64.1 | 64.1 | 64.7 | - | 121.1 | 122.3 | 121.0 | 120.7 | - |
| 17 years | 3 | 62.7* | 63.9* | 63.7* | 63.1 | - | 97.7* | 119.6* | 119.3* | 121.0 | - |
*not representative owing to very low numbers