What affects child growth

 Hereditary factors

• The influence of hereditary factors on a child's growth is widely known.
• The difference in body weight between male and female children can be observed already at birth.
• The differences in height between healthy children of the same sex and age are great.
• It is also known that the height of a healthy child, from the third year of life onwards, shows a significant correlation with the average height of the parents, which is termed genetic growth potential.
• Hereditary disorders also have consequences for growth, e.g. in Down and Turner syndrome (chromosome-level disorder) or Prader-Willi syndrome (gene-level disorder), and reduce growth potential in children.       

Environmental factors

Nutrition has a key impact on every child's growth.

• The child must have access to balanced amounts of nutrients necessary to meet his/her basic needs in terms of building blocks and energy.
• This includes the intake of proteins (especially essential amino acids), fats, carbohydrates, vitamins (especially A and D), trace elements such as iodine, iron, zinc, etc.
• Inadequate nutrition requires addressing deficiencies in food and feeding modality, to avoid growth disorders with far-reaching consequences due to the special sensitivity of this period.
• Stressful situations in a child's life, such as: poverty and family troubles, child abuse and neglect, etc., if they last for a longer time, can have a lasting negative impact on the child's growth and development.  
• Some drugs such as corticosteroids, if given in higher doses and over a longer period of time, can also slow down growth.
• Climate and hygienic conditions in the environment also have an impact. 

Factors related to the child him/herself

• Growth rate is under the direct impact of hormones, especially growth hormone and thyroid hormones, and during puberty sex hormones as well.
• Throughout childhood and puberty, growth hormone plays a key role in maintaining normal growth rate.
• Other hormones: cortisol, insulin, parathormone, digestive hormones, tissue growth factors, etc., have a specific role in metabolic processes through which they exert their influence on growth. 
• Acquired chronic diseases of the kidneys, intestines, lungs, heart, liver, immune system, etc., depending on the time when they occur, the severity and duration of the disease, may temporarily, which is less common, or permanently slow down the child's growth.
• The child grows at night, while sleeping; hence, growth depends on the child's activity and the amount of sleep.

It has been observed that the average human body height is still increasing; this is more pronounced in men than in women, which is considered to be a consequence of better living conditions.

Monitor your child's growth, discuss it with a pediatrician, and other professionals if necessary, as this is the right time to act in order for your child to realize his/her genetic potential.