This chapter discusses the relationship between nutritional intake and growth. Initially the differences between nutrition and diet are reviewed followed by essential nutrients and the intake requirements at each of the three primary stages of growth i.e., infancy, childhood, and adolescence. The relationship between growth and nutrition is reviewed in respect to growth being used as a direct reflection of the quality of nutritional intake. Under nutrition and over nutrition are discussed relative to differences in the pattern of growth experienced by under-nourished and over-nourished children.

This chapter describes the regulation of growth by multiple different hormones with a focus on the growth hormone – IGF-1 axis. The endocrine system is regulated by a feedback loop involving the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and peripheral target tissues. Growth hormone, IGF-1 and several other hormones travel through the circulation to the growth plate to regulate linear growth. Common illnesses, malnutrition, hormone deficiencies and genetic defects can impact linear growth. Assessment of linear growth and potential therapies for children with growth disorders are discussed.

The process of producing new growth charts involves several stages. The choice of reference population and sample, collecting and recording the anthropometry, cleaning and analyzing the data, and designing and printing the chart, together require the skills of specialists in different areas. The outcome should be a set of charts that are effective in recording and assessing the growth of children.

This chapter forms an introduction to the study of human growth and development.

Human growth is measured in the contexts of screening, surveillance, and monitoring. Whether growth is assessed in a cross-sectional or longitudinal research design it is important to understand the importance of Validity, Instrumentation, Minimum unit of measurement, Accuracy, and Reliability (VIMAR) Having decided that the value of the dimension required is Validly represented by the dimension to be measured, an appropriate Instrument with a suitable Minimum unit of measurement that will provide an Accurate value of known Reliability is applied.

Among an environmental factors, which significantly affect variation in human body size quality of nutrition and morbidity seem to be the most important. They are defined as living conditions or wellbeing of individuals, family or society. Since beginning of 19th century data of growth have been acknowledged as a good indicator of temporal economic condition of the whole society or particular subgroups. In this chapter, based on the conscripts'and schoolchildren's height and menarcheal age data from Poland, intergenerational changes and social gradients in generations between 1965 and 2012 are presented. The description is completed by mode of action of social factors on biological trials. Genetic homogeneity of Polish population makes this phenomenon especially clear.

Growth at adolescence is characterized by the presence of a pubertal growth spurt in height and weight, but not in head circumference. Children increase considerably in size during this period, and the timing (tempo) of this increase is variable. As a consequence, large differences in size may occur between children of the same chronological age. Differences in the tempo of growth have however no impact on final height. Several milestones characterize the shape of the distance and velocity curves during the adolescent growth cycle. These milestones or biological parameters can be identified when serial growth data from an individual are analyzed with a mathematical growth model. In this chapter, the Preece-Baines model 1 is introduced as an example of a structural model that is particularly useful for adolescent growth in height.

The assessment of maturation depends on the identification of a series of maturity indicators that characterize the transition from immaturity to maturity in all children. These maturity indicators are must be universal, sequential, discriminant, reliable, valid and complete in their characterization of maturation. The study and assessment of maturity has been confined to processes and events; the processes of skeletal, dental and sexual maturity and the events of menarche, spermarche, changes in sex hormone levels and inflection on the growth curve such as peak height velocity.

Environmental factors underpin human variation in patterns of growth and development among the world's populations, both between populations in different societal contexts, and between individuals in the same communities. The study of environmental influences on growth has been a centuries long activity of the human sciences. Work in this field encompasses features of the physical environment at the extremes such as high-altitude hypoxia and temperature, as well as socially mediated influences such as poverty, nutrition, stress, infection and pollution. Many of these influences are detrimental to growth. Sub-optimal nutrition, infection, stress, and poverty are known impediments to good growth, disproportionately affecting populations in the global South. Even in the global North, inequalities in environmental exposures continue to contribute to differential growth of children and consequently on health outcomes.