What Factors Affect Physical Development?
Last Updated: Jun 24, 2015 | By Marie Cheour Young children are playing outside. Photo Credit Cameron Spencer/Photodisc/Getty Images
Overview
Physical development and growth are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. For example, malnutrition can delay a child’s physical development significantly. On the other hand, according to the University of Minnesota, the role of some environmental factors, such as the amount of exercise the child is getting, has a much smaller effect on physical development than was previously thought.
Genetics
When a child is born, he has a unique set of genetic instructions that influence his physical growth. According to the University of Minnesota, genetics have a strong effect on rate of growth, the size of body parts and the onset of growth events. In one study, Dr. Stefan A. Czerwinski and colleagues followed their subjects for thirty years. By using such parental measurements as height and weight, these scientists were able to predict quite accurately the approximate height and weight of their subjects at the age of thirty. Other factors found to be closely linked to their parental values were blood pressure and body fat percentage, as well as muscle and total body mass. The study was published in the “American Journal of Human Biology” in September 2007.
Environment
Genetics alone, however, cannot determine the physical development of the child. The Minnesota Twin Studies have shown, for example, even identical twins who share the same genes can grow up to be of different height if they are raised in different environments. Such environmental factors as nutrition can affect physical growth significantly. According to the United Nations University, malnutrition can delay physical growth and development. It can also affect the quality and texture of bones and teeth, the size of body parts and delay the adolescent growth spurt. If the child gets better nutrition later on, she may be able to catch up, depending on how severe the malnutrition was. Besides diet, other environmental factors such as climate and toxins can also affect physical development.
Chronic Illnesses
Serious, chronic illness and surgeries have been shown to have a negative effect on a child’s physical development. Dr. M. L. Cepeda and colleagues, for example, studied 30 subjects with homozygous sickle cell disease from age eight through 19. In their study, published in the “Journal of the National Medical Association” in January 2000, the authors reported that their subjects were significantly shorter and of lower weight than their healthy controls. The sexual development was also delayed in adolescents with sickle cell disease. Physical factors can influence different aspects of child development in different ways. Sometimes, physical influences on child development are easy to control, and in other instances, nature has the final say. Give your child a strong developmental start by promoting healthy physical influences and eliminating negative factors within your control
Genetics
Sometimes, kids inherit certain genes and physical traits from their parents that can hinder overall development. Down syndrome, for example, is one genetic condition that causes delays in physical and intellectual development. Turner syndrome is another inherited chromosomal disorder that affects the physical, emotional and cognitive development in female children, often resulting in physical abnormalities and learning disabilities.
Nutrition
Nutrition is essential to healthy child development. Healthy children who continually receive proper nutrition will thrive developmentally, while malnourished children may suffer problems in physical, cognitive and behavioral development. It is important for you to promote healthy eating habits and to teach your child how to make good food choices. Routinely eating unhealthy foods like junk food and fast food contributes to obesity and diabetes, which can impede normal physical, emotional and social development in a variety of different ways.
Exercise
Exercise promotes healthy physical development, but physical fitness leads to healthy development in other domains as well. A research review prepared by the Illinois Public Health Institute acknowledges a direct link between physical activity and improved cognitive ability. Get the family moving with outdoor activities like biking or shooting hoops to keep kids’ bodies and minds healthy and fit.
Environment
Environmental factors directly impact a child’s development in many ways. Unsanitary living conditions can harm children’s health and hinder developmental growth, while isolation from peers can inhibit social development. Children who grow up in environments that provide little or no mental or sensory stimulation might lag in cognitive development. Other physical aspects of a child’s environment, such as hazardous chemicals that aren't properly locked away and play areas that aren't child-proofed or enclosed, can pose dangers to children's development and well-being. On the other hand, children who grow up in safe, loving homes that provide children with healthy environmental interactions -- and minimize environmental dangers -- thrive in developmental domains.
Several factors can affect physical development in early childhood. Participating in physical activities such as running, climbing, or playing ball will promote normal physical development in early childhood. Proper diet and nutrition during infancy and toddler years will also promote normal growth and physical development. Illness or disease can influence the physical development of a child. Most medical experts and scientists believe that hereditary factors also affect growth and development during early childhood years.
Genetics play a key role in physical development in early childhood. Some children grow at a seemingly fast pace, while others are smaller than average. A child who is considered small for his age may have parents who are shorter than average. In many cases, the rate of physical development in children correlates to the rate of development his parents achieved at the same age.
The environment in which a child is raised may play an important role in childhood development. Children who are exposed to air pollution may develop chronic lung disease or bouts of pneumonia. A child exposed to extremely loud noise on a daily basis may suffer from hearing loss, which may become apparent when starting school. Children who live in a stressful environment may develop poor eating habits that may contribute to obesity.
Children who are malnourished will typically experience abnormal physical development. This may include soft bones from lack of calcium, or a weakened immune system. Malnutrition may also lead to early tooth decay in children.
In addition, children who do not receive childhood immunizations may develop disease. Some childhood disease can negatively affect a child's physical development, or cause serious health complications, such as heart disease. According to medical experts, a child who has been vaccinated against various diseases stands a better chance of developing normally.
Physical development may also be impaired when young children do not receive adequate physical exercise on a regular basis. Experts recommend that parents encourage children as young as three years old to participate in physical activities every day. Regular exercise may strengthen bones and muscles, as well as improve coordination in very young children.
Chronic illness or serious disease, such as cystic fibrosis, cancer, or asthma may also affect physical development in early childhood. Some medical conditions such as cerebral palsy may impair fine motor skills and coordination in young children. In many cases, physical rehabilitation therapy may improve or develop a child's fine and gross motor skills.