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How Children Grow

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Excerpt: How Children Grow
SSR: Writing

The Childhood Years

During the past few years scientists have started detailing the interplay between genetics, nutrition, emotions, illness, and time . . . exploring the way these factors act, sometimes singly, but more often in concert, to affect not only an individual's growth, but also his health, for better or for worse. New research techniques are providing insight into how healthy growth proceeds, what enhances it, and why boys and girls, from birth, display markedly different patterns.

In almost every respect, the physical development of the female is more stable than that of the male. Not only is she biologically more mature, as measured by bone X-rays, but when sister and brother are exposed to the same growth-retarding condition, the girl tends to show less damage. The growth-retarded boy, on the other hand, reacts more favorably to an improvement in the condition causing his growth lag, possibly because he has more catch-up growth to accomplish.

Each successive generation in most of the industrialized world has been growing taller than the generation preceding it. On an average, young adults of today measure 1 inch more than parents and 2 inches more than their grandparents. Males, moreover, are increasing in adult height more rapidly than females. Many researchers believe these height gains can be attributed to better medical care and nutrition . . . and that the more rapid rate of increase in the male indicates how quickly his growth can respond to better times.

Will people keep growing taller and taller? No one knows. But scientists do suspect that the increase is leveling off and that, once they complete growth, today's healthy and well-nourished boys and girls will have reached the maximum height allowed by the human genetic potential. . . .