unit 18
E1. Summarise the factors which may influence the health and development of babies in the first year of their lives.
Some of the main factors that influence the health and development of babies are: physical, emotional, social, economic, environment factors, parenting styles, surveillance programmes, health promotion and legislation. A factor before birth can be smoking, this can either be second-hand or direct but both can still effect the baby pre and postnatally, it can also account to 20-30% of low birth weight in new borns and up to 14% pre-term deliveries. Smoking has also been estimated to be responsible for infant deaths by up to 10%. Even if the child is born healthy there can still be complications you cannot see like narrow airways and weak lungs. Another factor that can influence their health is diseases. The placenta cannot filter out extremely small viruses or bacteria and therefor children can be born with measles, chicken pox and syphilis. Rubella can also cause anomalies within babies, if this is contracted within the first three months of pregnancy it can cause the child to be born with congenital heart disease, cataracts, deafness or experience delayed mental development. HIV can be passed from mother to child while within the womb, there is no cure for HIV however there is medication that can help improve length and quality of life. Another factor is drug use, there are a few different drugs that can cause problems like cocaine, marijuana, heroin etc. these can cause problems like low birth weight, carbon dioxide in the blood, reduces oxygen to the baby, it increases chance of miscarriage, development delays, premature birth and also behaviour/learning problems. Domestic violence is also a big factor when it comes to influencing a child’s health and development when in the womb. 25-40% of women that are abused by their partners are normally abused during pregnancy as well, this can cause them to develop unhealthy habits like smoking,
Some of the main factors that influence the health and development of babies are: physical, emotional, social, economic, environment factors, parenting styles, surveillance programmes, health promotion and legislation. A factor before birth can be smoking, this can either be second-hand or direct but both can still effect the baby pre and postnatally, it can also account to 20-30% of low birth weight in new borns and up to 14% pre-term deliveries. Smoking has also been estimated to be responsible for infant deaths by up to 10%. Even if the child is born healthy there can still be complications you cannot see like narrow airways and weak lungs. Another factor that can influence their health is diseases. The placenta cannot filter out extremely small viruses or bacteria and therefor children can be born with measles, chicken pox and syphilis. Rubella can also cause anomalies within babies, if this is contracted within the first three months of pregnancy it can cause the child to be born with congenital heart disease, cataracts, deafness or experience delayed mental development. HIV can be passed from mother to child while within the womb, there is no cure for HIV however there is medication that can help improve length and quality of life. Another factor is drug use, there are a few different drugs that can cause problems like cocaine, marijuana, heroin etc. these can cause problems like low birth weight, carbon dioxide in the blood, reduces oxygen to the baby, it increases chance of miscarriage, development delays, premature birth and also behaviour/learning problems. Domestic violence is also a big factor when it comes to influencing a child’s health and development when in the womb. 25-40% of women that are abused by their partners are normally abused during pregnancy as well, this can cause them to develop unhealthy habits like smoking,