Factors Affecting Physical Growth & Development PDF

Factors That Affect Physical Growth and Development Here are some factors that could affect the growth and development of a child: Heredity. This is the passing on of characteristicsgenetically from one generationto the next, or from parents to children. Genetics plays a key role in phys...

Factors That Affect Physical Growth and Development Here are some factors that could affect the growth and development of a child: Heredity. This is the passing on of characteristicsgenetically from one generationto the next, or from parents to children. Genetics plays a key role in physical development. Some children may be taller than children their age, while otherscan be shorter, depending on the height of the parents. Some regions of a country may have kids taller or heavier than children from other regions of the country.Heredity can play a big role in differences in height, weight, aptitude, intelligence,and even predisposition to disease. Environment. The environmentin which a child is raised can affect physical growth and development. The clean, healthy, and safe physical surroundings promotenormal physical development.On the other hand, disease, toxic stress, accidents, pandemics, exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and toxins in the environment all affect a child's physical development negatively. Children who grew up exposed toair pollution may develop chronic lung disease, pneumonia, or asthma. Those who UNETi Physical Development 39  may suffer some degree of noises, like near airports, up with constantly loud grew hearing loss. Living on Smokey Mountain,A Mountain of Garbage, Philippines Figure 15. Figure 16. Living near a nuclear power plant at Chernobyl, Ukraine. The 1986 nuclear disaster led to radiation leaks and health problems of the people living there.  Figure 17. The COVID-19 Pandemic Gender. As presented earlier in this unit, boys grow up differentlythan girls, especially during puberty. Temperaments and interests may also vary. Exercise and overall health. Many children do not get enough exercise. Opportunities for running, climbing, playing ball, sports, yoga, dancing, and swimming all promote normal healthy physical development. A stronger body can have a better chance of fighting off disease. The more opportunities children have in order to develop both gross and fine motor skills, the faster their capacity increases. Physica! Development 41  Figure 18. Running, Climbing, and Playing in a Clean Environment with Family and Peers Children who are not immunizedagainst common diseases can get sick of these which are otherwise preventable: polio, chickenpox, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, influenza, measles, mumps, rubella, and hepatitis, among others. Health complications can also develop because of these, like heart disease. Chronic illnesses can also affect physical development, like asthma or cerebral palsy. Neuroscience studies show that exercise has immediate,long-lasting, and protective benefits other than developing healthy bones and muscles. It can also help develop one's focus, give better mood, better energy, better attention, and protect the brain in the long run from different conditions, like depression, Alzheimer's disease, or dementia.An immediateeffect of exercise in one's brain is an increase of neurotransmitters,like dopamine,serotonin,and noradrenalin, that increases one's mood, focus, and reaction time right after a single workoutor exercise. Regular exercise as part of one's lifestyle actually changes the anatomyof the brain, its physiology, and function as well. Long-term protective effects of regular exercise on the brain is the increase in volume of the hippocampusand the prefrontal area, which are the most susceptible to neurodegenerative diseases and normal cognitive decline. This improves long-term memory and makes one's 42 A Cowse Modulefor Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles brain stronger so that the diseases mentioned earlier will have a delay in actually affecting the person. Hormones. When our hormones function well, we would have normal growth and development. However, when there too are imbalances, when there are either much hormones or.too little hormones in the hormone-secreting glands, there could be growth defects, behavior problems, and any of the following diseases: Addison's disease is associated with low blood pressure, low cognitive ability, anemia, and feeling physically depleted. Cushing's syndrome is associated with high blood pressure, weight gain, problems regulating blood sugar levels, skin lesions, or loss of bone density. The thyroid hormone controls metabolism and other important functions of our body. Hyperthyroidism is associated with panic attacks, anxiety, insomnia, unexplained weight loss, and feeling of tiredness. Hypothyroidism is associated with weight gain, mental fatigue, inability to concentrate, very low heart rate, slow growth of hair, and rough skin. There are other diseases that are also caused by hormone imbalance. Iodine in our diet can be from seafoods and adding iodized salt for people who live in places that do not have seafoods or for people who have allergies to seafood. These are just a few examples. Doctors may prescribe medicines or hormone replacementwhen necessary. Nutrition. Breast milk is best for infants and leads to higher intelligence and improved health. A balanced diet withoutforgetting about fruits and vegetables would be ideal for growing children. Malnutrition (wrong nutrition) is usually associated with undernutrition as a result of deprivation of food, but the term also applies to overnutrition due to overeating. Undernutrition, a condition that develops when the body is deprived of much needed vitamins and minerals, causes stunted growth, delays puberty, and undermines brain development, but only to a limited extent. This can cause deficiency diseases that affect growth and development.You may search about lack of vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and so on, affecting eyesight, skin, and bone developmentamong others. A deficiency of minerals also affects physical growth soft and development. For instance, a lack of calcium can be associated with bones, a weakened immune system, or early tooth decay in children. thyroid Severe iodine deficiency in our diet can cause the enlargement of the this gland, a condition known as goiter and other thyroid problems. In children, areas could cause mental retardation. Endemic cretinism is found in mountainous severely iodine deficient or other isolated areas where a pregnant woman can be because she has no access to seafoods or to iodized salt. UNITI Physicai Deveiopment 43  Fetal alcohol syndrome can be found in children born to mothers who were consuming alcohol while pregnant, What about mothers who have been taking drugs while pregnant? Prenatal drug exposure, including alcohol and nicotine,is linked to low birth weight. Figure 19. In a certain mountainprovince, the mothers have goiter and children have cretinism. Lack of iodine in the diet of the mothers caused the goiter and this has affected the physical growth, even the mental development, of these children with cretinism. Overnutrition can be the result of overeating or the consumption of particular nutrients.Overeating can eventually lead to obesity, diabetes, and/or heart disease. Many children these days consume too much fat and sugar and not enough fruits  andvegetables Normally, infants increase in fat level until about their first year, this decreases. Fat increases again at age 4 to 8 years. Girls who become overweightet age 5 to 7 tend to enter puberty early. Many girls become more dissatisfied with their bodies, which is linked to eating disorders, like anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Children who are overweight are predicted to have diabetes and socioemotional problems as they grow up. They are also predicted to have obesity and eating disorders in the future. We must never forget the key role of water in many bodily functions. When we do not drink enough water, it could lead to dehydration. Dehydration is when there are not enough fluids in the body, which may eventually disrupt bodily functions and can lead to death. Natural loss of body fluids, like through urine or sweat, may be more complicated with the following risk factors: vomiting, diarrhea, illness, infections, diabetes, extreme temperatures in the environment (too hot or too cold), age, and certain medications. Developing the habit of drinking enough water could help in keeping our bodies healthy. Our brains are the first to feel the effects of dehydration and it shows by a loss of concentration. Sleep. Newborns spend more hours sleeping than staying awake. Their need for sleep gradually diminishes to about 11 hours for preschoolers. For children aged 3 to 5 years old, daytime naps would be needed. At age 6, sleep requirements of children can be from 11 to 12 hours. Adolescents need around 8 to 10 hours of sleep daily. It is importantto get enough sleep because well-rested children behave better and do better in school, having higher academic achievement. Sleep deprivation is one of the contemporaryhealth issues. Studies show that 85% of teens do not have enough sleep, while about 7% have delayed sleep, a kind of sleep disorder. Familial influence. Investing time, energy, and love in the family can lead to happy children who have normal physical development. When families tend to abuse children or neglect them, these may lead to negative effect on physical growth and development, and affect cognitive as well as socioemotional development. Harsh, uncaring adult behavior or unresponsive caregiving can be detrimentalto physical growth and well-being. Geographical influences. Where a child lives usually influences how the child would turn out to be. Weather affects biorhythms, allergies, and other health conditions.Analyze the drawings on the next page and reflect on the different situations and how they affect the children's physical development.  aaa'i afaya Figure 20. Children in Different Parts of the World  socioeconomic status. Many times. children who grow up in deprived environments and into families with low socioeconomic status (SES) do not get the opportunitythat children in well-off families get, like nutrition,sanitation, medical and health services, or schooling. When it comes to language development, studies show that among families with low SES, there are variations in language acquisition, depending on how much language is used toward the child. Therefore, SES is not a determiningfactor for low language development. Any family who talks to the child as often as possible can help in the development of the child. This is why head start programs, feeding programs, free clinics, and scholarships are very useful in helping children in poor communities improve their chances for proper physical development. They also develop better in other domains like cognitive and socioemotional.Some teachers assigned to teach in schools in lower income groups may find it frustrating sometimes to teach, but being aware of the issues of the underprivileged,living in unstable home environments,and difficultsituations can help teachers understandthe children and try to help in finding solutions. By now, you might have noticed the relationship of nutrition, genetics, hormones, environment, socioeconomic status, and geography as interlinkedand/ or interacting factors affecting physical development.