Child Growth
What Is Growth? Physical growth refers to the increases in height and weight and other body changes that happen as kids mature. Hair grows; teeth come in, come out, and come in again; and eventually puberty hits. It’s all part of the growth process.
Child malnutrition is a major public health issue worldwide. An estimated 144 million children under age 5 are stunted, 47 million are wasted and 38.3 million have overweight or obesity. Around 45% of deaths among children under 5 years of age are linked to undernutrition.
Measuring the growth of infants and children is an important part of child health surveillance. Inadequate infant growth due to poor nutrition leads to under-nutrition in children in many low- and middle-income countries, which, if followed later in life by an increased intake of calories, can result in overweight or obesity.
The WHO Child Growth Standards are a diagnostic tool used to monitor and assess the nutritional status of infants and young children worldwide. By tracking children’s height and body weight, the standards detect children or populations not growing properly, or who are underweight or at risk of being overweight, and who may require specific health services or public health responses.
The WHO Child Growth Standards have charts for boys and girls separated, covering age birth to 5 years. They are used in doctors’ offices, clinics and other health facilities, and by research institutions, child health advocacy organizations and ministries of health
The first year of life is a time of amazing change during which babies, on average, grow 10 inches (25 centimeters) in length and triple their birth weights.
After this rapid infant and early toddler growth, growth slows until the adolescent growth spurt. As growth slows, children need fewer calories and parents may notice a decrease in appetite. Two-year-old children can have very erratic eating habits that sometimes make parents anxious. Some children may seem to eat virtually nothing yet continue to grow and thrive. Actually, they usually eat little one day and then make up for it by eating more the next day.
A major growth spurt happens at the time of puberty, usually between 8 to 13 years of age in girls and 10 to 15 years in boys. Puberty lasts about 2 to 5 years. This growth spurt is associated with sexual development, which includes the appearance of pubic and underarm hair, the growth and development of sex organs, and in girls, the start of menstruation.
By the time girls reach age 15 and boys reach age 16 or 17, the growth of puberty has ended for most and they will have reached physical maturity.
1) Social-Emotional
This development stage is marked by peer relationships and positive interactions, and is crucial to productivity from adolescence to our senior years.
Cooperative learning activities and collaborative experiences encourage daily peer-to-peer interaction. In youth, that may be extracurricular activities such as service clubs or leadership groups to simulate real-world social situations. How young people learn to behave in these settings will guide their behavior later in life. It also sets the foundation for empathy and emotional intelligence.
2) Intellectual
Intellectual development refers to the ability to understand and reason. In early adolescence, curiosity reaches new heights. Adolescents are eager to explore new interests and learn about new topics. Experience plays a central role in brain growth. Intellectual development favors active learning and peer-to-peer interactions, an ongoing process that continues through adulthood.
3) Moral
Many of the attitudes, beliefs, and values that young adolescents develop remain with them into adulthood. During moral development, the brain transitions from a self-centered perspective to consideration toward others. Adolescents are encouraged to explore challenging, high-level concepts that allow them to define the virtues that will guide them throughout life. Moral development evolves with time, and as society changes, so do our moral values.
4) Psychological
When students are in tune with their emotional and mental state, they are better able to navigate the world around them. Psychological development is a time for identity formation as adolescents push themselves to take risks, develop perseverance, and discover independence.
5) Physical
A healthy body is the key to a healthy mind. Physical development during adolescence lays the foundation for healthy habits surrounding fitness and nutrition in adulthood.
6) Spiritual
Spirituality is not bound to a religious practice or place of worship. Spiritual development refers to one’s connection with the human spirit and one’s self as opposed to material or physical possessions.
