Growth in mammals encompasses several stages, from intrauterine growth through infancy and childhood to adolescence. Each of these phases is characterized by very specific nutritional, molecular and endocrine perspectives which, under ideal conditions, allow the organism to achieve its genetically programmed growth patterns.In this book, an international panel of experts addresses these topics in a historical, physiological and social perspective. The first part investigates the genetic, epigenetic, molecular and nutritional determinants of intrauterine and postnatal growth. Part two deals with non-evolutionary changes which occurred in the recent past, such as changes in body size in utero, during infancy and childhood, and during adolescence, and the potentially unfavorable consequences of enhanced nutrition and growth, including early onset of puberty, development of obesity, and increases in metabolic and cardiovascular disease. The last part addresses the question of which factors define healthy growth in light of the influence of nutritional, molecular and endocrine influences. Although the association between rapid changes in body size and adverse health effects is clear, the precise nature of causality remains uncertain. Presenting the latest scientific findings in growth research, this publication provides essential reading for pediatricians, clinical investigators and health workers.

The Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology provides an extensive and insightful overview of how economic conditions affect human well-being and how human health influences economic outcomes. The book addresses both macro and micro factors, as well as their interaction, providing new understanding of complex relationships and developments in economic history and economic dynamics. Among the topics explored is how variation in height, whether over time, among different socioeconomic groups, or in different locations, is an important indicator of changes in economic growth and economic development, levels of economic inequality, and economic opportunities for individuals.

In the Ninth Edition of Infants and Children: Prenatal Through Middle Childhood, renowned professor, researcher, and author Laura E. Berk takes an integrated approach to presenting development in the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social domains, emphasizing the complex interchanges between heredity and environment, providing exceptional multicultural and cross-cultural focus, and offering research-based, practical applications that students can relate to their personal and professional lives.

All the latest research on how to feed your child well—especially in their crucial first two years One of the greatest challenges a parent faces is navigating their child’s appetite. From picky eaters to overeaters, babies and toddlers can be difficult to feed. Yet a parent’s job is to ensure that their child is receiving the nutrition they need. New research suggests that a child’s eating habits are shaped as early as pregnancy. In An Appetite for Life, researchers Clare Llewellyn, PhD, and Hayley Syrad, PhD, separate fact from fad and share the latest reliable science to help you decide what’s best for you and your child. What to eat during pregnancy to ensure good maternal and infant health. Milk-feeding how-tos, with advice on both breastfeeding and formula. Baby’s essential first foods, including easy-to-follow guidance on weaning, introducing solid foods, and important nutrients. Balanced diets for toddlers, with feeding strategies for different eating styles. This is an invaluable, evidence-based guide to your child’s unique appetite and what they need in order to eat well—for life.

The natural world can be viewed as a continuously changing complex system comprising variable units that do not conform to any stable plan. Within this framework, human evolution is not the story of the past that created Homo sapiens and then handed this account over to written history. It is the ongoing process that shapes us now and will shape us in the future, body and mind. We must understand it in order to survive and be able to direct it to our advantage. The Dynamic Human presents a general theory of how humans function as a multi-individual system embedded in the natural world. The authors employ a unified approach of systems theory to outline forces that direct ongoing human evolution and produce its outcomes in terms of the past, present and future. Readers will find a perspective on the human place in nature, through a brief account of the past human evolution over 10 million years ago, a discussion of the earliest appearance of humans some 2 million years ago, and a description of the mechanisms of the changes in the gene pool of humans from generation-to-generation. Understanding the forces involved in these mechanisms (physical and mental growth and development) may allow us to understand world better. The Dynamic Human presents a simplified perspective on human evolution for all readers interested in a discourse on the origins, nature and future of human beings.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. ​This handbook synthesizes and analyzes the growing knowledge base on life course health development (LCHD) from the prenatal period through emerging adulthood, with implications for clinical practice and public health. It presents LCHD as an innovative field with a sound theoretical framework for understanding wellness and disease from a lifespan perspective, replacing previous medical, biopsychosocial, and early genomic models of health. Interdisciplinary chapters discuss major health concerns (diabetes, obesity), important less-studied conditions (hearing, kidney health), and large-scale issues (nutrition, adversity) from a lifespan viewpoint. In addition, chapters address methodological approaches and challenges by analyzing existing measures, studies, and surveys. The book concludes with the editors’ research agenda that proposes priorities for future LCHD research and its application to health care practice and health policy. Topics featured in the Handbook include: The prenatal period and its effect on child obesity and metabolic outcomes. Pregnancy complications and their effect on women’s cardiovascular health. A multi-level approach for obesity prevention in children. Application of the LCHD framework to autism spectrum disorder. Socioeconomic disadvantage and its influence on health development across the lifespan. The importance of nutrition to optimal health development across the lifespan. The Handbook of Life Course Health Development is a must-have resource for researchers, clinicians/professionals, and graduate students in developmental psychology/science; maternal and child health; social work; health economics; educational policy and politics; and medical law as well as many interrelated subdisciplines in psychology, medicine, public health, mental health, education, social welfare, economics, sociology, and law.

Low birthweight, caused by premature birth, poor intrauterine growth, or both, is known to be a strong predictor of morbidity and mortality risks in the first year of life and beyond. It has to be born in mind, though, that premature infants may need different clinical and nutritional interventions and are at risk for different morbidities than those small for gestational age. This publication focuses on three main subjects: Global epidemiology, catch-up growth, and feeding practices. These topics have been selected to provide a solid contextual basis for the nature and extent of the problem, highlighting changes in prevalence and risk across different healthcare settings: The available data strongly suggest that growth outcomes are dependent on a multitude of environmental factors that interact with nutrient intakes. Epidemiology, modern technology and the latest science are brought together to promote a better understanding of the short- and long-term needs and outcomes of low-birthweight babies, depending on whether they are born too small or too early.