Human Growth and Development

3rd Edition - November 18, 2021
Editors: Noel Cameron, Lawrence Schell
Language: English
Paperback ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 2 2 6 5 2 - 0
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 8 5 3 6 2 - 0

Human Growth and Development, Third Edition provides a comprehensive volume covering the biology of human growth and the genetic, endocrine, environmental, nutritional, and socio… Read more

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Human Growth and Development, Third Edition provides a comprehensive volume covering the biology of human growth and the genetic, endocrine, environmental, nutritional, and socio-economic factors that contribute towards its full expression. Human Growth and Development continues to be a valuable resource for researchers, professors and graduate students across the interdisciplinary area of human development. For the new edition, updates are made to all fourteen of the "core chapters" of the book which form the essential reading for a comprehensive understanding of human growth and development. Additionally, new special topics are covered including the interpretation of recently found sub-adult fossils that expand our understanding of the evolution of human growth and a discussion of the early pattern of growth and development as the developmental origins of risk for non-communicable diseases of adulthood.

Human Growth and Development, Third Edition includes contributions from the well-known experts in the field and is the most reputable, comprehensive resource available.

Cover image
Title page
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Contributors
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Using this book
The Lecturers
Chapter 1. The pattern of human growth
Introduction
Historical background
The distance curve of growth
The velocity growth curve and growth spurts
Other patterns of growth
Growth versus maturity
The control of growth
Growth reference charts
Canalization
Catch-up growth
Summary and conclusions
Chapter 2. Prenatal and infant growth
Introduction
Periods of gestation
Assessing growth during pregnancy
Factors affecting fetal growth
Birth
Infant growth
Chapter 3. Child and juvenile growth
Introduction
Characterizing physical growth during childhood
Physiology of childhood growth
Environmental factors associated with childhood size
Childhood growth and long-term health
Summary
Chapter 4. Adolescent growth
Introduction
The adolescent growth cycle
Tempo of growth
Growth modeling and biological parameters
Individual versus average growth
Sex differences in growth
Summary
Suggested reading
Chapter 5. Puberty
Introduction
The neuroendocrinology of puberty
Upstream factors influencing pubertal timing
Downstream consequences of pubertal activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis
Summary
Chapter 6. Endocrine control of growth
Overview of the endocrine system, hypothalamic-pituitary-gland axes, hormones relevant to growth
Growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)
Fetal, infancy, childhood, and adolescent endocrine controlled growth characteristics
Growth disorders characteristics, diagnosis and treatment
Assessment of growth in clinical scenarios
Chapter 7. Nutrition and growth
Introduction
Basic concepts
Assessment of nutritional status during childhood and adolescence
Nutrition and growth
Malnutrition
Summary
Annotated Bibliography
Chapter 8. The genetic epidemiology of growth and development
Introduction
Statistical genetic terms and concepts
Study designs
Studies of the genetics of growth and development
Summary
Chapter 9. Social and economic effects on growth
Introduction
Two types of variation of anthropometric traits caused by social factors
Social gradients in height of conscripts
Social gradients in growth of school children
Social gradients in menarcheal age
Mode of action of social factors on biological features
Are social gradients of height in the Polish population partly genetic?
The role of inequality in society
Concluding remarks
Chapter 10. Environmental effects on growth
Introduction
Research design issues
Temperature and climate
Season
High altitude hypoxia
Pollutants
Social and economic influences on postnatal human growth
How do we interpret differences in growth related to environmental factors?
Conclusion
Chapter 11. The measurement of human growth
Introduction
The context of measurement; screening, surveillance and monitoring
VIMAR: validity, instrumentation, minimum unit of measurement, accuracy, reliability
Frequency of measurement
Measurements
Surface landmarks
Chapter 12. Assessment of maturation
Introduction
Initial considerations
Methods of assessment
Summary
Chapter 13. Modeling growth curves for epidemiology
Finding the curve
Multilevel growth curve models
Growth mixture models
Concluding remarks
Chapter 14. Growth references and standards
Introduction
Defining the reference population
Drawing the sample
Collecting the data
Cleaning the data
Estimating distance centiles
Variants of the distance chart
Visualizing the curves
Charting velocity
Conditional references
Designing and printing the chart
When to replace
Electronic growth charts
Conclusions
Chapter 15. Evolution of human growth
Introduction: evolution of human maturation
Anthropology: evolutionary approach
Fossil evidence
Concluding thoughts
Chapter 16. Early environments, developmental plasticity, and chronic degenerative disease
Introduction
Developmental origins of health and disease: evidence and mechanisms
Developmental plasticity as a means of adaptation
Implications of developmental programming for social health disparities
Conclusion
Chapter 17. Physical activity and growth
Definitions of physical activity/sedentary behavior
Physical activity and health and wellbeing
Physical activity guidelines
Measurement of physical activity
Correlates
Physical activity and chronological age
Growth, development and physical activity
Biological maturity and growth-related injury risk
Emerging areas
Conclusion
Chapter 18. Biological models of human growth
Introduction
Human growth: building a body is a cellular job
Saltation and stasis: how children grow
A paradigm shift in growth models
The emergence of the saltation and stasis model
The biology of saltatory growth: the model and the evidence
Saltation and stasis: an integrated model of growth
Summary
Chapter 19. Body composition during growth and development
Introduction
Basic concepts
Methods
Body composition and growth
Body composition in health and disease
Summary
Index

Noel Cameron

Noel Cameron spent from 1984 to 1997 as Associate (1987) and then Full Professor of Anatomy and Human Biology (1994) in the Department of Anatomy of the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He returned to the UK in 1997 as Professor of Human Biology at his alma mater, Loughborough University. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology in 1998 for his significant contribution to research in human biology. Dr. Cameron is Secretary General of the International Society for the Study of Human Growth and Clinical Auxology (ISGA), and President of the European Anthropological Association. He is also an Honorary Research Associate of the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He was awarded the Doctor of Science (DSc) degree from Loughborough University in 2018 for his significant contribution to knowledge in human growth and development.

Affiliations and expertise

Professor of Human Biology, Centre for Global Health and Human Development, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK

Lawrence Schell

Lawrence M. Schell is a Professor of Anthropology, Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the State University of New York in Albany, New York. His research concerns the interrelationship between biology and culture and focuses on biological responses to contemporary urban environments. Dr. Schell has three current research projects. One looks at the effect of lead on child physical and cognitive development in Albany, NY. The second project seeks to address the growing concern about the effect of certain pollutants on sexual and physical development. The third study examines the relationship of pollutants to the reproductive health of Akwesasne women who are concerned that pollution exposure may have damaged their ability to have children. He has published over 65 articles and reviews, including several reviews on urbanism, pollution and child health. He received his Ph.D. in biological anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania; his B.A. from Oberlin College.

Affiliations and expertise

Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, United States

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