This document summarizes biological and health changes across the human lifespan from infancy to adulthood. It discusses patterns of growth in infancy and average height and weight milestones. In childhood, it outlines important health factors like immunization, poverty, and nutrition. Puberty brings body changes through hormonal development. Adolescence involves continued physical development and risks like eating disorders and drug use. Physical traits change in adulthood with age like loss of muscle mass and increased disease risk. Nutrition and exercise recommendations aim to promote health at each stage.

1. Life Span
Biological and Health
Changes
Colleen Sampson, Cynthia Ortega, Helen Ledezma,
Stephanie Storm, Sydney Trask, Virginia Serrano

2. Infancy
(Streetwindy, n.d.)

3. Patterns of Growth
• Cephalocaudal Pattern
• Sensory and motor development goes
from head to foot
• For example, infants can use their hands
long before crawling and walking
• Proximodistal Pattern
• Development begins from the center of
the body and moves outward
• For example, infants use their whole
hand as a unit before being able to
control their fingers (Santrock, 2020)
(Themes, 2016)

4. Infant Height and Weight
Birth and first months
Average size: 20 in., 7.5 lbs*
Most infants lose 5-7% of body weight
in first days of life
Firsth month
Infants gain an average of 5-6 oz./week
Fourth month
Birth weight doubles
First year
Birth weight triples
Length increases by 50%
Second year
Growth slows
Average height: 32-35 in.
(Santrock, 2020)
*North American averages

5. Infant Nutrition
• Children require nutrition and a nurturing,
supportive environment
• The American Academy of Pediatrics (2012)
recommends breast feeding through six months,
however, breast vs. bottle feeding studies are
correlational, not experimental (Santrock, 2020)
(Sarah Chai, n.d.)

6. Childhood
(Danilyuk, n.d.)

7. Childhood Health Factors
• The most important factors in children's health:
• Prevention: timely immunization, avoiding accidents (e.g., falls, suffocation,
burns)
• Poverty: about 7% of U.S. children do not have health care, 11 million
preschool children are malnourished – health care alone cannot address
these issues, programs need to improve conditions of the entire family
• UNICEF's (2018, 2019) under-5 mortality rate attributes these factors:
• Nutritional health and knowledge, immunization, dehydration, availability of
health services, availability of income, and clean and safe sanitation, and
overall safety (Santrock, 2020)

8. Childhood Height and Weight
Preschool years
As children grow, the increase in height and weight
decreases with each additional year (Marcdante & Kliegman,
2018)
Growth patterns vary individually (Hockenberry, Wilson, &
Rodgers, 2019)
Elementary school years
Children grow an average of 2 to 3 in./year
At 8 years old, the average child is 4'2", 56 lbs.
Weight gain due to increase in the size of the skeletal and
muscular systems (Santrock, 2020)
Middle and late childhood
Changes in proportions (e.g., head, waist, and leg length
decrease in relation to body height (Hockenberry, Wilson, &
Rodgers, 2019)
Height is attributed to genetics, ethnicity, and nutrition
(Santrock, 2020)

9. Childhood Nutrition and Exercise
• Childhood obesity
• Rates of obesity have increased in the United States
• Children who are overweight may be at risk for medical and psychological
difficulties (Santrock, 2020)
• Children require daily exercise for both muscle and cognitive development
• Experts recommend children get 15 min of physical activity per hour over a 12-hour period
• Aerobic exercise improves attention, memory, creativity, and academic success
• Studies show the importance of parents' encouragement of physical activity
• (Santrock, 2020)

10. Adolescence
(Cottonbro, n.d.)

11. Puberty
Nguyen (2019) defines puberty as a brain-neuroendocrine process that
stimulates rapid physical changes in early adolescence (Santrock, 2020)
(Planned Parenthood, n.d.)

12. Body Changes in Puberty
Male
• Penis and testicles
grow, voice lowers,
chest and shoulders
broaden, hair may grow
on face, chest, and
back
• Peak rate of change at
13.5 years (Santrock,
2020)
All Bodies
• Acne, body odor,
armpit and public hair,
pain in your arms and
legs (growing pains),
growth spurt between
3.5-4 in.
Female
• Breasts enlarge, hips
widen, menstruation
begins, and labia may
change color and grow
(Planned Parenthood,
n.d.)
• Peak rate of change at
11.5 years (Santrock,
2020)

13. Hormonal Changes in Puberty
• Hormones are powerful chemical substances secreted by the endocrine glands
and carried through the body by the bloodstream (Hsueh & He, 2018)
• The endocrine system's role in puberty involves:
• the hypothalamus, a structure in the brain involved with sexual behavior
• the pituitary gland, which controls growth and regulation of the gonads
• the gonads, sex glands (testes in males and ovaries in females)
•Two key hormones increase in puberty:
• Testosterone develops genitals, increases height, and deepens the voice
• Estradiol causes breast, uterine, and skeletal development

14. Hormonal Changes in Puberty Cont.
• Transgender, intersex, or nonbinary youth may experience puberty changes
that do not line up with their gender identity
• Some young people may decide to take puberty blockers, or medicines that
block testosterone and estrogen, preventing the onset of puberty (Planned
Parenthood, n.d.)
• Social factors can sometimes play a larger role in adolescent psychological
development than hormonal factors
• Stress, nutrition, exercise, sexual activity, and depression can activate or
suppress hormones
• Early maturation has negative outcomes for girls, putting them at
increased risk for psychical and verbal abuse from their environment
• (Santrock, 2020)

15. Adolescent Nutrition and Exercise
• Rate of obesity in adolescents is on the rise
• Successful interventions include calorie restriction, exercise, reduction
of sedentary activity, and behavioral therapy
• Research shows adolescents tend to be less active than during
childhood
• Boys are more likely to engage in moderate to vigorous exercise than girls
• Exercise is linked to positive outcomes, including:
• Reduced triglyceride levels, lower blood pressure, lower incidence of type
II diabetes
• Improved academic, cognitive, and socioemotional development
• (Santrock, 2022)

16. Adolescents and Eating Disorders
"Disease and disability strike with a double whammy: Not only do
they cause pain, distress, and loss, but they also trigger a social reaction,
and the prejudice and discrimination that often accompany illness can be
as limiting as the condition itself" (Corrigan, 2014)
• Genes play a role in disordered eating, but it also disproportionately
impacts adolescent girls and young adult women
• Anorexia Nervosa involves 1) restricted energy intake, 2) presence of
intense fear of gaining weight, and/or 3) not recognizing the seriousness
of current low weight
• Bulimia Nervosa involving binge-and-purge eating at least twice a week
for three months
• Binge Eating Disorder involves frequent binge eating

17. Adolescent Drug Use
• The U.S. has one of the highest adolescent drug use rates
• Development, parents, peers, and educational success play
an important role in preventing drug abuse
• Substance use peaks in emerging adulthood and decreases
by the mid-twenties (Santrock, 2020)
Binge drinking (Santrock, 2020)

18. Adulthood
(Carvalho, n.d.)

19. Adulthood Physical Traits
20s
Height is consistent
Peak physical performance (i.e.,
muscle tone, strength, and joint
health)
30s
Muscles lose elasticity
New body aches
40s
Lose height and gain weight
Skin wrinkles from loss of collagen in
tissues
50s
Hair thins and grays
Muscle and bone loss
Increase in cardiovascular disease
Decreased lung capasity
Menopause
60+
Weight drops from lower muscle
mass
Increased likelihood of hypertension
(Santrock, 2020)

20. Adulthood Nutrition and Exercise
• Obesity is a pervasive health problem that continues into adulthood
• Linked to increased risk of earlier death, hypertension, diabetes,
and cardiovascular disease
• Regular exercise can promote health and increase longevity
• Older adults spend more time exercising than previous generations
• Current recommendation for adults 60+ is 30 minutes of aerobic activity
• Resistance training also improves physical function, psychological well-
being, and quality of life
• Alcohol use goes down in older adults, however there is a concern over abuse
of prescription and illicit drugs (Santrock, 2020)

21. References
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feeding-newborn-baby-7282749/
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Hockenberry, M.J., Wilson, D., & Rodgers, C.C. (2019). Wong’s essentials of pediatric nursing (11th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby.
Hsueh, A.J., & He, J. (2018). Gonadotropins and their receptors: Co-evolution, genetic variants, receptor imaging, and functional antagonists. Biological Reproduction, 99,
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Marcdante, K., & Kliegman, R.M. (2018). Nelson essentials of pediatrics (8th ed.). New York: Elsevier.
Nguyen, T.V. (2019, in press). Developmental effects of androgens on the human brain. Journal of Neuroendocrinology.
Parenthood, P. (n.d.). Puberty in females and males: Get facts and info about puberty. Planned Parenthood. Retrieved January 21, 2022,
from https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/teens/puberty
Santrock, J. W. (2020). A topical approach to lifespan development. (10th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Streetwindy. (n.d.). Close up photo of young boy · Free Stock Photo - PEXELS. Retrieved January 21, 2022, from https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-young-
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Themes, U. F. O. (2016, December 22). Growing children and their families. Nurse Key. Retrieved January 21, 2022, from https://nursekey.com/growing-children-and-
their-families/
UNICEF (2018). The state of the world’s children, 2018. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.
UNICEF (2019). The state of the world’s children, 2019. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.