There are five main factors that affect a person’s development, they are:
Genetics factors.
Environmental factors.
Socio-Economical factors.
Life style factors.
Biological factors.
Genetic factors
Each cell in the body contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, half from your mother, and half from your father. The chromosomes contain the genes you inherit from your parents. For example, for the gene that determines eye colour you may inherit a brown gene and a blue gene, in this case the child will be born with brown eyes because brown is the most dominant colour.
The same is true for medical conditions. There may be a faulty version of a gene that results in a medical condition.
Whether the individual develops a medical condition will depend on several factors which include:
What type of genes they inherit.
Whether the gene for the condition is dominant and recessive.
Their environment, including any treatment they may receive.
Genetic mutation occur when DNA changes, altering genetic instructions. This either results in either genetic disorders or a change in the individuals characteristics. Mutation can be cause by being shown chemicals. Cigarette smoke is full of chemicals that attack DNA.
Environmental factors.
The environment does affect an individual’s development. Pollution is a big factor; air and water is a major source of ill health. Lack of sanitation can lead to cholera but this is only in extreme cases. There are cases of lead pollution from petrol fumes. There is air pollution from busy roads being used all the time. Air pollution is also cause by factories, tips, manure and nitrogen. Chemicals used in household products can cause chemical pollution which can damage developing brains.
Housing is part of environmental factors, if the family household income is high then that family has more choice and they will have a higher mortgage. A family who lives on low income may rent a poor quality house, which could lead