FACTORS AFFECTING GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT Mrs. D. Melba Sahaya Sweety
M.Sc Nursing (Pediatric Nursing)
GIMSAR

Introduction
• Although the terms growth and development are used synonymously,
they have different meanings biologically. Growth refers to the
incremental changes in physical characteristics such as height, weight,
size, etc., while development refers to qualitative changes to growth in
an orderly and meaningful fashion which results in maturity.
• Growth and development contribute to each other, are inseparable, and
occur simultaneously. For example, most babies, by the time they grow
up to be 8 months old, can weigh around 8 to 10 kilograms and can sit
up.
• Growth and development depend on combination of many
interdependent factors especially by heredity and environment.

Factors influencing Growth and
Development
Factors
Influencing
Growth and
Development
Heredity or
Genetic
factors
Sex
Race and
Nationality
Environment
Prenatal
Postnatal

Genetic Factors
• Each child has a different genetic potential. Genetic predisposition is the
important factors which influences the growth and development of
children. Different characteristics such as height, body structure,color of
skin,eyes and hair etc.., depend upon inherited gene from parents . Thus
tall parents have tall children and parent with high intelligence are more
likely to have children with high level of inherent intelligence.
• Abnormal genes from ancestors may produce different familial diseases
which usually hinders the growth and development e.g. thalassemia,
hemophillia,galactosemia etc.., The process of growth and development is
also affected in children with chromosomal abnormalities , e.g. in Down’s
syndrome, Turner’s syndrome , klinefelter Syndrome

Sex
• The sex of children influences their
physical attributes and patterns of
growth. Sex is determined at
conception. At birth , male babies are
heavier and longer than the females
babies. Boys maintain this
superiority until about 11 years of
age. Girls mature earlier than boys
and bone development is more
advanced in girls. But mean height
and weight are usually less in girls
than boys at the time of full maturity.

Race and Nationality
• Growth potential of
different racial groups is
different in varying
extent. Physical
characteristics of different
national groups also vary.
Height and stature of
Americans and Indians
are usually differing
because of the differences
in growth patterns.

Environment
• The environment plays a critical role in the development of
children and it represents the sum total of physical and
psychological stimulation the child receives. Where you live also
has a great influence on how your children turn out to be.
• The schools they attend, the neighbourhood they live in, the
opportunities offered by the community and their peer circles
are some of the social factors affecting a child’s development.
Living in an enriching community that has parks, libraries and
community centres for group activities and sports all play a role
in developing the child’s skills, talents, and behaviour.
Uninteresting communities can push some children to not go
outside often but play video games at home instead. Even the
weather of a place influences children in the form of bodily
rhythms, allergies and other health conditions.

Prenatal Factors
Intrauterine
environment is an
important
predominant
factors of growth
and development.
Various
conditions
influence the fetal
growth in utero.
Maternal
Malnutrition
Maternal Infections
Maternal Substance
Abuse
Maternal
Illness
Hormones
Miscellaneous

Maternal Malnutrition
• Dietary insufficiency and
anemia leads to intrauterine
growth retardation. Low
birth weight and preterm
babies have poor growth
potentials . In later life, those
children are usually having
disturbances of growth and
development

Maternal Infections
• Different intrauterine infections
like HIV, HBV,STORCH, etc.., may
transmit to the fetus via placenta
and affect the fetal growth.
Various complications may occur
like congenital anomalies,
congenital infections etc.., which
ultimately affect the growth and
development in extrauterine life.

Maternal Substance
Abuse
• Intake of teratogenic drugs (thalidomide,
phenytoin, etc.,) by the pregnant women in
the first trimester affects the
organogenesis and lead to congenital
malformations which hinder fetal growth.
Presence of congenital anomalies in later
life influence childhood growth and
development. Maternal tobacco intake
(smoking and Chewing) and alcohol abuse
also produce fetal growth restriction.

Maternal Illness
• Pregnancy – induced
hypertension, Anemia, Heart
disease, Hypothyroidism,
Diabetes mellitus, chronic renal
failure, Hyperpyrexia , etc., have
adverse effects on fetal growth.
Iodine deficiency of the mother
may leads to mental retardation
of the baby in later life.

Hormones
• Hormones like thyroxine and insulin
influence the fetal growth.
Thyroxine deficiency retards the
skeletal maturation of the fetus.
Maternal myxedema results in fetal
hypothyroidism. Antithyroid drug
therapy and iodides during last
trimester of pregnancy may lead to
fetal growth leading to large size
fetus with excessive birth weight
due to macrosomia.

Miscellaneous
Various prenatal conditions which
may also influence fetal growth
include uterinemalformations
(septate uterus, bicornuate
uterus). Malpositions of the fetus
oligohydramnious,
polyhydramnious,faulty pacental
implantation or malfunction,
maternal emotion during
pregnancy, inadequate prenatal
care etc.,

Post natal Factors
Post
natal
Factors
Growth Potential
Nutrition
Childhood illness
Physical Environment
Cultural Influences
Socioeconomic status
Climate and season
Play and Exercise
Birth Order of the child
Intelligence
Hormonal Influence
Learning and reinforcement

Growth Potential
• Growth potential is indicated by the child’s size at birth.
The smaller the child at birth, the smaller
• she/he is likely to be in subsequent years. The larger the
child at birth, the larger she/he is likely to be in
subsequent years . Low birth weight babies have various
complications in later life which retards child’s growth.

• Nutrition is a critical factor in growth as
everything the body needs to build and
repair itself comes from the food we
eat. Malnutrition can cause deficiency
diseases that adversely affect the growth
and development of children. On the other
hand, overeating can lead to obesity and
health problems in the long run, such as
diabetes and heart disease. A balanced diet
that is rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins,
carbohydrates and fats is essential for the
development of the brain and body.
Nutrition

• Chronic childhood diseases of heart, (congenital heart
disease, rheumatic heart disease), chest (tuberculosis,
asthma), Kidney (nephrotic syndrome), liver (cirrhosis),
malignancy, Malabsorption syndrome, digestive
disorders, endocrinal abnormalities, blood disorders,
worm infestations, metabolic disorders,etc. generally
leads to growth impairement.
• Acute illnesses like ARI,diarrhea, repeated attack of
infections result in malnutrition and growth retardation.
• Congenital anomalies , accidental injury and prolong
hospitalization usually have adverse effect on growth
and development.
Childhood Illnesses

• Housing living conditions ,
safety measures,
environmental sanitation,
sunshine, ventilation, and
fresh air, hygiene, safe
water supply, etc., are
having direct influence on
child’s growth and
development. Drought,
famine and disaster also
influence the child growth.
Physical
Environment

Families have the most profound impact in nurturing a child and
determining the ways in which they develop psychologically and
socially. Whether they are raised by their parents, grandparents or
foster care, they need basic love, care and courtesy to develop as
healthy functional individuals. The most positive growth is seen when
families invest time, energy and love in the development of the child
through activities, such as reading to them, playing with them and
having deep meaningful conversations. Families that abuse or neglect
children would affect their positive development. These children may
end up as individuals who have poor social skills and difficulty bonding
with other people as adults. Helicopter parenting also has negative
effects as they render children dependent on the parents even as
young adults and unable to deal with difficulties in life on their own.
Psychological
Environment

• Growth and Development of an individual child
are influenced by the culture in which he or she is
growing up. The childrearing practices ,food
habits traditional beliefs , social taboos, attitude
towards health, standard of health,educational
level, etc., influence the child growth and
development.
• The child learn standard of traits like honesty,
discipline, intellectual inquiry, manners,
aggression, individual industry and acheivement
from the culture of the family and society
Cultural Influences

• The socio-economic status of a family determines the
quality of the opportunity a child gets. Studying in
better schools that are more expensive definitely has
benefits in the long run. Well-off families can also
offer better learning resources for their children and
they afford special aid if the kids need it. Children
from poorer families may not have access to
educational resources and good nutrition to reach
their full potential. They may also have working
parents who work too many hours and cannot invest
enough quality time in their development
Socio-ecnomic
Status

• Climatic variation and seasonal
changes influence the child
health. Weight gain is more in
late summers, rainy season and
autumn. Maximum gain in
height among children occurs in
the spring. These variations may
be due to difference in activity
level.
Climate and Season

The word exercise here does not mean physical exercise
as a discipline or children deliberately engaging
in physical activities knowing it would help them grow.
Play and Exercise help the body gain an increase in
muscular strength and put on bone mass.
Proper exercise helps children grow well and reach
milestones on time or sooner. Exercise also keeps them
healthy and fights off diseases by strengthening the
immune system, especially if they play outside. This is
because outdoor play exposes them to microbes that
help them build resistance and prevent allergies.
Play and exercise

• Birth order does not alone determine intelligence, personality trait or method of coping
but it has a significant influence on all of these.
• The first born child gets full attention until the second born, they learn from adult
,whereas the second born child learn mainly from elder one . Middle born child gets less
attention during rearing
• The first born child is usually intelligent ,achievement oriented, perfectionist and anxious.
The only child is likely to develop rapidly and intellectual with higher self-esteem but may
be more dependent. The middle born is more adaptable , less achievement oriented,less
aggressive towards goal and learn how to compromise.
• The youngest child receives a great deal of love and attention, and tend to develop a good
natured , friendly, warm personality and with higher esteem.
• However ,each child is different and need total attention and care from parents to develop
their personality to the fullest extent possible.
Birth order of the child

• Intelligence of the child
influences mental and
social development. A child
with higher intelligence
adjust with environment
promptly and fullfil own
needs and demands,
whereas a child with low
level of intelligence fails to
do that , Intelligence is
correlated to some degree
with physical development.
Intelligence

• Hormones belong to the endocrine system and
influence the various functions of our bodies. They
are produced by different glands that are situated in
specific parts of the body to secrete hormones that
control body functions. Their timely functioning is
critical for normal physical growth and development
in children. Imbalances in the functioning of
hormone-secreting glands can result in growth
defects, obesity, behavioural problems and other
diseases. During puberty, the gonads produce sex
hormones which control the development of the sex
organs and the appearance of secondary sexual
characteristics in boys and girls.
Hormonal Influence

Learning involves much more than schooling. It is also
concerned with building the child up mentally,
intellectually, emotionally, and socially so they operate as
healthy functional individuals in the society. This is where
the development of the mind takes place and the child can
gain some maturity. Reinforcement is a component of
learning where an activity or exercise is repeated and
refined to solidify the lessons learned. An example is
playing a musical instrument; they get better at playing it
as they practice playing the instrument. Therefore, any
lesson that is taught has to be repeated until the right
results are obtained.
Learning and
Reinforcement

Conclusion
• Thus growth and development is a
complex process with the influence
of various factors. Favorable
conditions promote growth and
development . whereas unfavorable
factors inhibit the process leading the
growth retardation or growth failure
or developmental delays.