Back to: Jss2 Basic Science (BST)

Growth

Growth is defined as an irreversible increase in the dry matter integrated into an organism’s mass, volume or size, weight, number of cells, and length (height).

Development

The qualitative changes in structure and functions are referred to as “development.” From birth, a child’s growth is determined by both heredity and environment. Growth and development are inextricably linked. Development is qualitative, whereas growth is quantitative. Auxanometer is a weighing scale used to assess plant and animal growth.

Growth Changes in Weight

Nutrition has a significant role in the regulation of growth and weight change. A child who is receiving adequate nutrition will be of a healthier weight than one who is not receiving adequate nutrition.
During the first few days of their lives, newborns often experience a loss of weight equal to around 8% of their birth weight; however, this loss of weight is eventually made up by the end of the first few weeks. Between the ages of 6 and 12, children participate in a wide variety of active activities, which causes them to expend a significant amount of energy. During this time, there is a noticeable reduction in the amount of fatty tissue, which results in their seeming thinner as well as taller.
A bathroom scale may be used to measure weight, and either kilogrammes (kg) or pounds can be used as the unit of measurement for the weight (lbs.).

Growth Changes in Size

The fact that distinct parts of the body develop at irregular intervals leads to changes in both the size and shape of the body. During development, certain areas of the body expand more than others until they reach the ultimate proportions that they will have as adults.
At birth, the head accounts for around one-sixth of the total length of the body, although in adults, this proportion is closer to one-quarter. As a result of changes in body proportions, not all parts of the body expand by the same amount as others.
Changes in development can be recognised as the appearance of particular distinguishing characteristics and capacities at various stages of development.

Differences between growth and development

Growth	Development
Growth is an unreversible increase in size, weight, and height	Changes that lead to maturity are referred to as development
It’s a physical transformation.	It might not be noticed or seen.
It is visible.	It is a change in an individual’s physical traits such as learning, thinking, emotions, social talents, and skills.

Differences Between Growth in Plants and Animals

PLANTS	ANIMALS
Growth in plants is restricted to special areas as the meristemic tissues at the root tip and shoot apices	Growth in animals is not restricted to special areas instead it takes place all over the body.
Growth is continuous throughout life in the growing regions	Growth is not continuous throughout life in most animals. However, animals such as lobsters and fish grow throughout life even though growth reduces in old age.
Growth in plants is directly influenced by such external factors as sunlight, temperature, humidity, gravity etc.	Growth in animals is usually not directly influenced by such external factors.

Major Indices of Growth Changes in Living Things

Heredity

There is no doubt that heredity and genes play a big role in passing on physical and social traits from parents to children. Different aspects of growth and development, such as intelligence, aptitudes, body structure, height, weight, and hair and eye colour, are largely determined by genes.

Sex

Sexuality is a very important part of how people grow and change. There are a lot of differences between how girls and boys grow and develop. In their teens, girls grow faster than boys do. Girls and boys have different bodies and grow at different rates.

Socioeconomic

There is no doubt that socioeconomic factors have some effect. At all ages, the average size of children from different socioeconomic backgrounds is different. Families at the top are always more advanced. The main reasons for this are better food, better living conditions, regular meals, sleep, and exercise. The size of the family also affects the growth rate. For example, when a family has a lot of kids but not much money, some of the kids don’t get enough to eat, which slows their growth.

Nutrition

What you eat has a direct effect on how much you grow. The human body needs the right amount of calories to grow normally, and these needs change at different stages of development. Studies show that malnutrition is a big problem in a lot of developing countries. They are more likely to be underweight, short, and low height for their age. which is called stunting.

If the children don’t get enough food, their growth slows down. There are nine different amino acids that are needed for growth. If you don’t get any of them, you won’t grow as much as you should. Other things like zinc, iodine, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins are also important for growth, and if you don’t get enough of any of them, it can affect how your body grows and develops.

Hormones

Our bodies have a lot of endocrine glands that make hormones. One or more hormones are released by these glands right into the bloodstream. These hormones can speed up or slow down the activity of the body or some of its organs. Hormones are thought to be substances that help growth. These hormones play a big part in making sure that growth and development happen in the right way.

Pollution

Studies show that air pollution hurts not only the organs that help us breathe but also the way we grow.

Indoor pollution or pollution caused by the way people live can make people sick and hurt their growth and development. For example, it can be very bad to be exposed to lead through old, worn-out paint that contains lead. Lead is very bad for children because it gets into their bodies as they grow and stops their brains and other organs and systems from developing normally.

Race

A person’s height, weight, colour, features, and body type are all affected by his or her race. The differences in body growth and development show a link between different cultures. For example, a black child will be black, and their height, hair colour, eye colour, and face shape will all be based on their race.