Physical hazards in the different stages of life.

3. INFANCY
(Birth to 2nd week )

4.  One of the most
hazardous periods in the
life span.
 Some are of only
temporary significance
while others can affect
the individual’s life

5.  It can result to infant’s difficulty
adjusting to post natal life.
 Prolonged and intense maternal stress,
for example, may cause the infant to
be tense and nervous.
 Hazardous only when the fetus becomes
so large that the birth requires the use
of instruments or surgery.
 Infants may also experience neonatal
adjustments problem.

6.  Frequently results in temporary or
permanent brain damage.
 The more complicated the birth the
more damage there is to the brain
tissue, the greater the effect on
the infant’s postnatal adjustments.
 Effects of brain damage are shown
in uncoordinated behavior,
hyperactivity, learning difficulties
and emotional patterns.

7.  Usually smaller and weaker
than singletons as a result
of crowding during the
prenatal period which
inhibits fetal movements.
 These babies tend to be
born prematurely, which
adds to their adjustment
problems.

8. It causes more neonatal deaths than
any other condition.
Affects adjustment for many years
thereafter due to the result of the fact
that the brain and the nervous system is
not fully developed and others due to
neurological disorders resulting from
birth injuries and anoxia.
 The most critical times for death
during the period of infancy are the day
of birth (2/3 of all neonatal deaths
occur) and second and third days of
birth.

9. BABYHOOD
(End of 2nd week – End of 2nd
year)

10.  In the first year of
babyhood, physical
hazards tend to be more
numerous and more
serious than
psychological ones, while
the reverse is true during

11.  During the first year of
babyhood, death is usually caused
by serious illness while during the
second year, death is more often
due to accidents.
 Occurs after a long period of sleep;
due to abnormalities in breathing or
who have had some abnormal condition
at birth; also common to babies who
had oxygen therapy during the newborn
period.

12.  Respiratory complications, colds
and digestive upsets; prolonged
illnesses can interfere with the
normal growth pattern.
 It causes stunted growth but also
leads to physical defects such as
carious teeth, bowed legs, and a
tendency to suffer from more or
less constant illness; brain growth
and development may be impaired.

13.  True when babies are on their
second year when they can move
about more freely.
Some babyhood accident such as
bruises and scratches, are minor
and have no permanent effects.
Others, such as blows on the head
or cuts, may be serious enough to
leave permanent scars or may
even be fatal.

14.  Babies who are fed large
amounts of carbohydrates during
this critical period of fat-cell
development are not only
overweight but are subject to
diabetes and heart diseases as
they grow older.
Bottle-fed babies are more
likely to be overfed than
breast-fed babies.

15.  EATING HABITS
 babies who suck for long periods show signs of
tenseness. They engage in nonnutritive sucking,
have more sleep difficulties, and are more
restless. Resistance of semi-solid foods if they
are introduced too early.
 SLEEPING HABITS
 crying, strenuous play with an adult, or noise
can make babies tense and keep them from
falling asleep. Sleep schedules must meet the
requirements to avoid tense and resistant to
sleep.
 HABITS OF ELIMINATION
 trying to toilet train babies too early will make
them uncooperative while delay results in habits
of irregularity and lack of motivation on the baby’s

17. EARLY
CHILDHOOD
(2nd year – 6 years old)

18.  These hazards have
psychological as well
as physical
repercussions,
especially such
hazards as illness,

19.  Deaths are more often the result
of accidents than of illness.
 During this period, deaths are
more frequent among boys than
among girls.
 Young children are highly
susceptible to all kinds of illness,
though respiratory illness are the
most common.

20.  Most young children experiences
cuts, bruises, infections, burns,
broken bones, strained muscles, or
similar minor disturbances resulting
from accidents.
 Due to delay in motor development
and as a result, they cannot keep
up with their age-mates and being
left out of their play.

21.  It leads to health hazard.
 They are likely scorned by their
peers and labeled “Fatty”.
 The habit of overeating will lead
to an obesity problem that will
plague them throughout life.
 It can affect children’s
educational success and, later,
their vocational success or their
social adjustments.

22.  The less attractive
appearance of young children
added to their changed
behavior makes them less
appealing to their parents and
adults. They interpret it as
rejection and bitterly resent
it.

23. LATE
CHILDHOOD
(6 years old – 11 to 12 years old)

24.  As a result of new
medical techniques for
diagnosing, preventing
and treating illnesses,
mortality during the late
childhood occurs much
less frequently than in

25.  It upsets the body’s homeostasis
which in turn makes children
irritable, demanding and difficult to
live with.
 Older children tend to be more
cautious after an accident. This
may lead to timidity concerning all
physical activities and even spread
to other areas of behavior.

26.  This may be due to glandular condition but
more often due to overeating.
 Obese children are more prone to diabetes.
 Obese children lose out in active play and
they miss opportunities to acquire the skills
so essential to social success.
 Prevent them from doing what
their playmates do or from keeping
pace with them in play. They start
to think of themselves as being
inferior to their playmates.

27.  Most of these are the aftereffects of
accidents. The seriousness depends on
the disability and on the way others
treat the child. Most disabled children
become inhibited and ill at ease in social
situation.
 It is a hazard if other people react
unfavorably and communicate their
feelings by the way they treat homely
children. The interpretation of
rejection can have a harmful effect
on their developing self-concepts.

28.  Girls with masculine body
builds and boys with girlish
physiques are likely to be
ridiculed by their peers and
pitied by adults. This leads to
personal and social
maladjustments.

30.  The major physical
hazards of puberty are
due to slight or major
malfunctioning of the
endocrine glands that
control the puberty growth
spurt and the sexual
changes that take place at

32.  Physical hazards in
this stage are now
less numerous and
less important than the
psychological hazards.

33.  Mortality as a result of illness is
far less common although deaths
due to automobile accidents
increase.
 These are more serious than at
any other time during the life span.
This has serious impact on social
maladjustments and self-concept.

34.  Many boys and girls who commit or
attempt to commit suicide have
been socially isolated for a period
of time before and many have
experienced family disruptions and
school problems.
 These defects prevent adolescents
from doing what their peers do.

35.  Far more disturbing to an
adolescent than to a child
mainly because they are judged
more by their sex-appropriate
appearance and they are aware
that once their growth is nearly
complete as it is when
adolescence draws to close,
their body build is for life.

37. EARLY
ADULTHOOD
(21- 40 years old)

38.  The major hazards
stems from a failure to
master some or most of
the important
developmental tasks for
that age making the
individual seem
immature as compared

39.  Adults who are handicapped by
poor health cannot achieve what
they are capable of in their
vocational or social lives which
results to frustrations.
 Adults find their unattractive
appearance detrimental and an
almost insurmountable barrier to
upward social mobility.

40. MIDDLE
ADULTHOOD
(40 - 60 years old)

41.  The major hazards
stems from the tendency
of many men and
women to accept the
cultural stereotype of the
middle-aged person as
fat, forty and balding.

42.  It has a profound influence on
attitudes toward the physical
changes that comes with
advancing age.
 Many middle-aged people are in
constant rebellion against the
restrictions age places on their
usual patterns of behavior.

43.  Changing role is never easy,
especially after one has played
and has learned to derive
satisfaction from them.
 Too much success in one role
make adjustments to another role
difficult.
 They are likely to become
bored and wonder how they can
spend their leisure time.

44.  Can be a hazard if families
cannot afford the status
symbols they want.
 These tends to lead to
frictional relationships with
spouses.
 They face a serious hazard
when they realize they have
fallen short of their goals and
that time is fast running.

45. LATE
ADULTHOOD
(60 years old onwards or to death)

46.  This is due partly to the
physical and mental decline
that makes the elderly more
vulnerable to potential
hazards and partly to lack of
recognition of these potential
hazards on the part of the
social group.

47.  Elderly people are most
commonly inflicted by circulatory
disturbances, metabolic
disorders, involutional mental
disorders, disorders of the
joints, tumors, heart disease,
rheumatism, arthritis, visual and
hearing impairment,
hypertension, gait disorders and
mental and nervous conditions.

48.  This is due to more psychological
that economic causes.
 The most common is lose of
appetite resulting from anxiety
and depression.
 They have difficulties in chewing
foods rich in protein, such as
meat, and may concentrate those
high in carbohydrates.

49. Happily married elderly people
are healthier and live longer
than those who never married,
who have lost a spouse, or who
become sexually inactive.
 They are more accident-prone.
 Even when the accident is not
fatal, they frequently leave the
individual disabled for life.

50. Prepared by Group 2
 Jorban, Anjeaneth P.
Bonifacio, Marell D.C.
Azucena, King Joshua A.
Mercader, Liezl D.
Alido, Maria Joy Maica B.
Quinale, Chezzel Ann B.
Dumbrigue, Ma. Rosanta C.
Cruz, Vernice G.
Vargas, Dianne Marie M.
Silan, Michael C.
Abordo, Ryan Vincent A.

51. BSSW III
Tuesday/Thursday
(1:00 – 2:30 PM)