LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After completing this chapter the learner is able to –
• explain the concepts of survival, growth and development.
• analyse the relationship between growth and health.
• discuss the characteristics of different stages of childhood.
• describe developmental milestones.
• examine development in different domains of childhood.
11.1 The Meaning of Survival
The term survival has many meanings. But all of us associate it with “remaining alive” and “maintaining essential life functions” at a basic level. Children remain alive and capable of basic functions when they are provided with care, adequate food and protection from disease-causing organisms. If they suffer from lack of nutrients or develop infections, they need to overcome these “assaults” as they threaten their survival. If the children come from low income families, it is very important to provide them extra food and give adequate nutrients in right amounts and proportions. In addition they need to be immunised against the killer diseases of infancy and childhood such as tuberculosis, whooping cough, diphtheria, polio and tetanus. Diseases such as malaria, pneumonia are also a threat to children’s lives.
According to the 2007 UNICEF report 9.2 million children born alive worldwide may die before their fifth birthday. Of these, three million children are from our part of the world — South Asia. Most of these children live in developing countries and die from a disease or a combination of diseases that could be easily prevented or treated – antibiotics for pneumonia, for example, or a simple mix of salts and sugars for diarrhoea. Malnutrition contributes to over a third of these deaths. Diarrhoeal diseases account for 17 per cent of deaths among children under five years of age worldwide, or nearly two million child deaths every year — making them the second most common cause of child deaths globally.
Child mortality is closely linked to poverty. Advances in infant and child survival have occurred more slowly in poor countries and for the poorest people in wealthier countries. Improvements in public health services are the key, including safe water and better sanitation. Education, specially for girls and mothers, will also save children’s lives.
Click on the below link to download NCERT Class 11 Home Science Human Ecology and Sciences Survival Growth and Development
