The individual between 13 and 18 years of age is called an adolescent. The period of adolescence heralds major physical, mental and emotional changes. You have learnt earlier that infancy and the preschool years are periods of rapid growth. So is adolescence. In fact, the rate of growth in adolescence is second only to infancy. This period witnesses sharp increases in height and weight which, as you are aware, are indicators of growth. Do you know that body weight almost doubles during the period from 10 years to 18 years? The boy who weighs about 32 kg after crossing the age of 10, weighs almost 59 kg by the time he has crossed the age of 18. Further, there is substantial growth and development of many specific body systems such as the skeletal system and the muscular system. Muscles and bones increase in size and strength. The heart, lungs, stomach and kidneys attain their final adult size and level of functioning during the adolescent growth spurt. (Yot may be aware the term "growth spurt" refers to a sudden increase in the rate of growth). There is also a great increase in blood volume. This is necessary for the improvement in the functional capacity of the respiratory, digestive and circulatory systems. As the period of adolescence draws to a close, growth is completed and adult size is reached. By then all organs and body systems reach their maximum possible level of maturity and development.
The appearance of sex characteristics during the adolescent years is of great importance. The major observable sex-related changes include enlargement of the breast, pubic and axillary hair, and menarche in girls between 12 and 14 years of age. The term menarche refers to menstruation or the monthly loss of blood (for 3 to 7 days) in the girl. It signals the fact that her reproductive system has begun functioning and is approaching maturity. It is important to note that the growth spurt precedes menarche.
In the case of boys, hair appears in the pubic, axillary and other body regions such as cheek, chin and upper lip and there is a change in the voice.
The chart mentions alterations in body build and appearance. In the case of girls, fat deposits are laid down in the abdominal region and the breadth of the hip increases.
In boys there is an increase in the muscle mass, particularly in the shoulder and upper arm regions. Such differences in body composition first appeared in the school years,
if you remember. They now become well established.
The physiological changes we have just described mark the onset of puberty. You would probably have heard this term before. What does it mean? Puberty refers to the physiological changes involved in sexual maturation as well as the other changes that occur during the period of adolescence. Once these changes have taken place i.e. at the end of puberty, sexual reproduction becomes possible.
However, we are left wondering about one crucial aspect. How does this amazing transformation take place? What causes these effects? These changes are, in fact, brought about by the action of Specific hormones - the androgen (in the case of males) and the estrogen (in the case of females). Androgen and estrogens are also called sex hormones. The chart given below highlights their influence on growth, body structure and function.
Sex Hormones
Changes in
It is quite obvious that the sex hormones regulate sexual maturation. In addition to this they also trigger off changes related to growth and development. It is almost like pressing a switch.
The sex hormones account for the pronounced sex differences in growth in adolescence. The timing of the growth spurt and the nature of the changes in body composition are examples of these differences. The adolescent boy gains more height at a faster rate than girls. His growth spurt, however, starts later than that of the girls. Skeletal growth continues longer and more muscle is added. In the case of the adolescent girl more total body fat is deposited as we mentioned earlier.
As you would have understood by now, adolescence is a period of physiological stress for the body because of the extremely rapid rate ~f growth. The diet plays a crucial role in promoting and sustaining growth. It is in this context that we must talk of adolescent pregnancy. In India, many adolescent girls become mothers because of the early age at marriage. Many have already had two or three children before they cross the age of twenty.
Highlight 6 emphasizes the burden of supporting both growth and foetal needs in adolescent pregnancy. We have dealt with it in the subsection on RDIs so that you are better able to understand the impact of pregnancy on the nutrient requirements of the adolescent girl.
Viewed in this context, there is need to pay particular attention to the diets of girls between 10 and 16 years since they are future mothers and the health of the next generation depends on their health. If they are given additional supplementation, the earlier deficits in growth and development can be made up to a great extent. Once adolescence is passed and growth is completed, any health or nutrition measure will have no influence. On the other hand, if determined efforts are made to give them additional nutritious food over and above what they usually eat, their nutritional status can be improved. This is true for boys as well. The extra food aids catch-up growth as you learnt in Unit 9 of this block. The term, of course, means that the child catches up on the growth that could not be achieved earlier. Compare the situation to two individuals participating in a race. Initially, one maintains a steady pace, while the other lags behind. Then the latter increases his speed and both reach the finishing line at the same time. If the second runner does not increase his pace soon enough it will become impossible for him to catch up with the other runner.
Here, as you would have noticed by now, the first individual represents a person undergoing growth at the normal pace. The second represents an individual who lagged behind in growth initially but caught up later.
The chart mentions alterations in body build and appearance. In the case of girls, fat deposits are laid down in the abdominal region and the breadth of the hip increases.
In boys there is an increase in the muscle mass, particularly in the shoulder and upper arm regions. Such differences in body composition first appeared in the school years,if you remember. They now become well established.
The physiological changes we have just described mark the onset of puberty. You would probably have heard this term before. What does it mean? Puberty refers to the physiological changes involved in sexual maturation as well as the other changes that occur during the period of adolescence. Once these changes have taken place i.e. at the end of puberty, sexual reproduction becomes possible.
However, we are left wondering about one crucial aspect. How does this amazing transformation take place? What causes these effects? These changes are, in fact, brought about by the action of Specific hormones - the androgen (in the case of males) and the estrogen (in the case of females). Androgen and estrogens are also called sex hormones. The chart given below highlights their influence on growth, body structure and function.
Sex Hormones
Changes in
- Body structure
- Body composition
- Rate of growth
- Sex organs
It is quite obvious that the sex hormones regulate sexual maturation. In addition to this they also trigger off changes related to growth and development. It is almost like pressing a switch.
The sex hormones account for the pronounced sex differences in growth in adolescence. The timing of the growth spurt and the nature of the changes in body composition are examples of these differences. The adolescent boy gains more height at a faster rate than girls. His growth spurt, however, starts later than that of the girls. Skeletal growth continues longer and more muscle is added. In the case of the adolescent girl more total body fat is deposited as we mentioned earlier.
As you would have understood by now, adolescence is a period of physiological stress for the body because of the extremely rapid rate ~f growth. The diet plays a crucial role in promoting and sustaining growth. It is in this context that we must talk of adolescent pregnancy. In India, many adolescent girls become mothers because of the early age at marriage. Many have already had two or three children before they cross the age of twenty.
Highlight 6 emphasizes the burden of supporting both growth and foetal needs in adolescent pregnancy. We have dealt with it in the subsection on RDIs so that you are better able to understand the impact of pregnancy on the nutrient requirements of the adolescent girl.
Viewed in this context, there is need to pay particular attention to the diets of girls between 10 and 16 years since they are future mothers and the health of the next generation depends on their health. If they are given additional supplementation, the earlier deficits in growth and development can be made up to a great extent. Once adolescence is passed and growth is completed, any health or nutrition measure will have no influence. On the other hand, if determined efforts are made to give them additional nutritious food over and above what they usually eat, their nutritional status can be improved. This is true for boys as well. The extra food aids catch-up growth as you learnt in Unit 9 of this block. The term, of course, means that the child catches up on the growth that could not be achieved earlier. Compare the situation to two individuals participating in a race. Initially, one maintains a steady pace, while the other lags behind. Then the latter increases his speed and both reach the finishing line at the same time. If the second runner does not increase his pace soon enough it will become impossible for him to catch up with the other runner.
Here, as you would have noticed by now, the first individual represents a person undergoing growth at the normal pace. The second represents an individual who lagged behind in growth initially but caught up later.
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| Adolescence is the last chance tor catch-up growth |
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