Module Two Growth and Health

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Module Two Growth and Health

• Chapter 4 OBJECTIVES
• How do children grow physically?
• What can disrupt physical growth?
• How does the brain grow during this time?

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Did you know that humans take the longer to
become physically mature than any other animal?

• We spend about 20 of our lives growing
  physically!

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Physical Growth

• The most obvious way to measure physical growth
  is in terms of sheer size
• The averages of height and weight are used as a
  general measure
• Example
• Between birth and two, average height increases
  from 19 to 32 inches and the average weight
  increases from 7 to 22 pounds
• Growth is very rapid in infancy and adolescence

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An interesting rule of thumb is that boys achieve
half of their adult height by age 2 and girls at
18 months.
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Weight Gain

• A layer of fat appears under the skin near the
  end of the prenatal period this helps the fetus
  and the infant regulate body temperature, this
  continues to accumulate rapidly during the first
  year producing what we call baby fat.
• Infants typically double their birth weight by
  the fourth month , triple it by the end of the
  first year and more than quadruple it by 2 years.
• During the preschool years, children actually
  become leaner, but in the elementary school years
  they begin to acquire more fat

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Physical Changes

• As children go through growth spurts, body parts
  develop at different rates, which means that
  infants and young children are not simply scaled
  down versions of adults.
• The head and trunk grow faster than the legs,
  making them look top heavy compared to older
  children and adolescents.
• The legs and feet will catch up later in
  childhood and their bodies take on proportions
  that are more adult like.

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When does the most development occur?
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Today, children and adults are taller and heavier
than previous generations, due largely to
improved health and nutrition

• These changes from one generation to another are
  known as
• Secular Growth Trends

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Not only does the concept of average growth and
development vary by generation, but also by
nation.

• Average and normal are not the same. This
  applies not only to physical development, but to
  all aspects of development

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ShhhBabys Sleeping!
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Does SLEEP impact development?

• It is often taken for granted how much influence
  sleep has on growth. Sleep is essential for
  normal growth because 80 of the growth hormone
  is secreted while children and adolescents sleep
  (Smock, 1998).

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Does sleep effect growth?

• The growth hormone is secreted during sleep by
  the pituitary gland in the brain, which triggers
  the hormone somatomedin
• This hormone causes the bones and muscles to grow
• In the last module we discussed how much time
  infants spend sleeping and that as children grow
  older the time spent in sleep decreases.
• From roughly 12 hours at age 3
• 10 hours at age 7
• 8 hours at age 12

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Sleep.

• Sleep also effects the cognitive processes and a
  childs adjustment to school.
• Children who do not sleep well (waking frequently
  or lack consistent sleep nightly) are often
  unable to pay attention in school (Sadeh et al.,
  2002).
• Children with poor sleeping habits are also more
  likely to disregard teachers requests and act
  aggressively
• Establishing a bedtime routine will allow the
  child to wind down and will be more likely to
  get a restful nights sleep.

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Nutrition

• The fuel for growth comes from the foods children
  eat. Nutrition is particularly important during
  infancy when physical growth is so rapid.
• Because growth requires so much energy, young
  babies must consume an enormous amount of
  calories in relation to their body weight.

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Whats the best food for babies?

• Breast versus bottle feeding

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The breast is best

• Breast-feeding ensures that babies get the
  nourishment that they need.
• Human milk contains the proper amounts of
  carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals for
  babies.
• Breast feeding also has several
  advantages over bottle feeding
  (Shelov, 1993).

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Breast is Best

• Breast-fed babies are ill less often than
  bottle-fed babies because breast milk contains
  antibodies that kill bacteria and viruses.
• Breast milk is always sterile and at body
  temperature.
• Breastfed babies are less prone to diarrhea and
  constipation because breast milk is easier to
  digest.
• Breast-fed babies adjust more rapidly to solid
  foods because changes in the milks taste
  reflects the mothers diet (Kail, 2004).

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The many benefits of breast-feeding do NOT mean
that bottle-feeding is harmful

• Formula, when prepared in sanitary conditions can
  generally provide the same benefits as breast milk

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While nutritionally formula can be just as good
as breast milk, it does not protect infants from
disease and infants are often prone to develop
allergies from formula.
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BUT bottle-feeding does have advantages!

• Mothers and family members can still participate
  in the intimacy of feeding the baby.
• Long-term longitudinal studies find that
  breast-fed and bottle-fed babies are similar in
  physical and psychological development
  (Fergusson, 1987).
• Today, women in industrialized countries can
  chose either method knowing that the infants
  dietary needs are met.

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Older children

• Children need a varying number of calories over
  the preschool, elementary school and adolescence
  to continue to grow and develop.
• More important than the number of calories is a
  healthy, balanced diet that provides all of the
  five major food groups.
• A healthy diet not only draws on the major food
  groups, but also avoids too much sugar and too
  much fat.

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Dramatic changes occur physically in infancy and
early childhood. After a period of the body
relative dormancy another transformation begins.
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Adolescence begins officially with puberty,
which refers to the adolescent growth spurt and
sexual maturation.
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Hello Puberty!

• Sexual maturation includes a change in primary
  sex characteristics, which refers to the organs
  directly involved in reproduction.
• Girls Ovaries, uterus and vagina
• Boys scrotum, testes and penis

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Physical changes in puberty

• The development of secondary sex characteristics,
  which are physical signs of maturity not directly
  linked to the reproductive organs.
• These are the changes the distinguish a man from
  a woman

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Which is a Boy or a Girl?How do you know?
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You dont necessarily know at that age, right?

• Think on your own
• What are the common ways to tell the gender of a
  small child?

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Try it againWhich is the Boy or the Girl?
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This one should have been EASY for you to
answer. But why?

• Puberty produces changes in physical appearance
  that make it easy to distinguish a boy from a
  girl- secondary sex characteristics!
• Weve all experienced themwhat are they?

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Secondary Sex Characteristics

• Girls- Breast development, widening of the
  pelvis, Menarche (menstruation), voice changes.
• Boys- Spermarche, voice deepens, shoulders
  broaden, facial hair
• The development of facial and body/pubic hair
  occur for both genders.

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This transformation of puberty can lead to
awkward social interactions during the initial
spurt as girls are often taller and more
mature-looking than boys.
Girls are particularly likely to be dissatisfied
with their appearance and feel awkward or
self-conscious
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Effects of Puberty

• Research has shown that early maturation can be
  harmful for girls.
• Girls who mature early often lack
  self-confidence, are less popular, are more
  likely to be depressed and have behavior
  problems.
• These potential problems can be offset by several
  factors, including a supportive family.