PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILD DEVELOPMENT - ISSUES OF SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS

The aim of our four-year longitudinal survey was to compare the somatic and motor development of 7-year-old girls growing LIP In families that need continuous Municipal financial support, respectively to the ones not needing it. Eight consecutive data collections were carried out in three geographic and economic regions of Hungary from 2003 to 2007. The study group (receiving financial support because of low socioeconomic status during the whole observation period) contained 152 girls and the comparison one (no financial support) consisted of 343 female peers. To receive regular financial support because Of low socioeconomic status (SES) a family has to meet one of the five criteria prescribed by the law and used in the official statistics for the status of families. Between-observations differences were tested by repeated measures ANOVA (8 data collection sessions by 7 variables). In the case of a significant F-test the Tukey's post-hoc tests were used. Between-groups differences were analysed by independent t-tests. Age dependence was also studied by linear regression analysis that might serve for extrapolation in the phase of linear growth before the observed youngest age, but not for those older than the oldest observed age. In the case of a significant correlation the differences between the standardized curves (Betas) were analysed by t-tests using the standard errors of the coefficients. The level of effective random error was set at 5% in all significance tests. Body height and body weight arithmetic means were consistently and significantly greater in the comparison group. The weight means were proportionate to the taller stature. Consequently, the means of BMI and weight-related body fat content were statistically the same. The children of the low SES performed worse in speed, explosive strength (power) and speed endurance estimated by three motor tests. Other conditions being equal to the observed differences were attributable to the poor economic conditions affecting the study group already before and during the observation period. Nevertheless, it was not an absolute but a long-lasting relative sort of malnutrition (inadequate intake of protein, vitamin, etc.) that most likely affected the children from the low socioeconomic status group.