Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Reproductive Health
Published in: Reproductive Health 1/2013

Open Access 01-12-2013 | Research

Median ages at stages of sexual maturity and excess weight in school children

Authors: Alexandre P Luciano, Jucemar Benedet, Luiz Carlos de Abreu, Vitor E Valenti, Fernando de Souza Almeida, Francisco AG de Vasconcelos, Fernando Adami

Published in: Reproductive Health | Issue 1/2013

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

We aimed to estimate the median ages at specific stages of sexual maturity stratified by excess weight in boys and girls.

Materials and method

This was a cross-sectional study made in 2007 in Florianopolis, Brazil, with 2,339 schoolchildren between 8 to 14 years of age (1,107 boys) selected at random in two steps (by region and type of school). The schoolchildren were divided into: i) those with excess weight and ii) those without excess weight, according to the WHO 2007 cut-off points for gender and age. Sexual maturity was self-evaluated by the subjects according to the Tanner sexual development stages, and utilizing median ages for the genitalia, breasts, and pubic hair stages.

Results

In the boys with excess weight, precocity was observed in the stages 4 for genitals and pubic hair and 2 for pubic hair, with the values for excess and normal weight. The median ages at the beginning of puberty (stage 2–sexual development) for boys and girls in Florianopolis were 10.8 and 10.3 years, respectively.

Conclusion

Excess weight is associated with lower median ages in the sexual maturity stages in boys and girls and that it should be taken into account when evaluating sexual maturity in children and adolescents.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Silva ACCS, Adan LFF: Growth in boys and girls with precocious puberty. Braz Arch Endocrinol Metabol. 2003, 47: 422-431.
2.
Faulkner RA, Maturity IN: Measurement in Pediatric Exercise Science. 1996, British Columbia, Canadá: Human Kinetics
3.
4.
Longui CA, Calliari LEP, Monte O: Critical revision of the diagnosis and treatment of central precocious puberty. Braz Arch Endocrinol Metabol. 2001, 45: 48-57.
5.
Parent AS, Teilmann G, Juul A, Skakkebaek NE, Topp AJ, Bourguignon JP: The timing of normal puberty and the age limits of sexual precocity: variations around the world, secular trends, and changes after migration. Endocr Rev. 2003, 24: 668-693. 10.1210/er.2002-0019.CrossRefPubMed
6.
Zeferino AMB, Barros AAF, Bettiol H, Barbieri MA: Monitoring of growth. J Pediatr. 2003, 79: S23-S32. 10.2223/JPED.995.CrossRef
7.
Freedman DS, Khan LK, Serdula MK, Dietz WH, Srinivasan SR, Berenson GS: The relation of childhood BMI to adult adiposity: The Bogalusa Heart Study. Pediatr. 2005, 115: 22-27.
8.
Pierce MB, Leon DA: Age at menarche and adult BMI in the Aberdeen children of the 1950s cohort study. Am J Clin Nutri. 2005, 81: 733-739.
9.
Van Lenthe FJ, Kemper HCG, Mechelen WV: Rapid maturity in adolescence results in grates obesity in adulthood: the Amsterdam growth and health study. Am J Clin Nutri. 1996, 64: 18-24.
10.
Malina RM, Bouchard C: Growth, maturity, and physical activity. 1991, Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics Books
11.
United Nations Development Programme: Brasília: Programa das Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento. Sao Paulo/PNUD. 2003
12.
Assis MA, Rolland-Cachera MF, Grosseman S: Obesity, overweight and thinness in schoolchildren of the city of Florianopolis, Southern Brazil. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2005, 59: 1015-1021. 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602206.CrossRefPubMed
13.
World Health Organization: Physical status: the use and interpretation of anthropometry. 1995, Geneva: World Health Organization
14.
Lohman TG, Roche AF, Martorell R: Anthropometric standardization reference manual. 1988, Illinois: Human Kinetics Books
15.
Frainer DE, Adami F, Vasconcelos FAG, Assis MAA, Calvo MC, Kerpel R: Standardization and reliability of anthropometric measurements for population surveys. Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2007, 57: 335-342.PubMed
16.
de Onis M, Onyango AW, Borghi E, Siyam A, Nishida C, Siekmann J: Development of a WHO growth reference for school-aged children and adolescents. Bull World Health Organ. 2007, 85: 660-667. 10.2471/BLT.07.043497.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
17.
Conde WL, Monteiro CA: Brazilian body mass index cut off points for evaluation of nutritional status from children and adolescents. J Pediatr. 2006, 82: 133-138. 10.2223/JPED.1555.CrossRef
18.
Cole TJ, Bellizzi MC, Flegal KM, Dietz WH: Establishing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide: international survey. Br Med J. 2000, 320: 1-6. 10.1136/bmj.320.7226.1.CrossRef
19.
Adami F, Schlickmann Frainer DE, de Souza Almeida F, de Abreu LC, Valenti VE, Piva Demarzo MM, Mello Monteiro CB, de Oliveira FR: Construct validity of a figure rating scale for Brazilian adolescents. Nutr J. 2012, 11: 24-10.1186/1475-2891-11-24.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
20.
Tanner JM: Growth at Adolecense. 1962, Oxford: Hiackwell, 2
21.
Ribeiro J, Santos P, Duarte J, Mota J: Association between overweight and early sexual maturity in Portuguese boys and girls. Ann Hum Biol. 2006, 33: 55-63. 10.1080/00207390500434135.CrossRefPubMed
22.
Papadimitriou A, Douros K, Kleanthous K, Papadimitriou DT, Attilakos A, Fretzayas A: Pubertal maturation of contemporary Greek boys: no evidence of a secular trend. J Adolesc Health. 2011, 49: 434-436. 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.12.022.CrossRefPubMed
23.
Belachew T, Hadley C, Lindstrom D, Getachew Y, Duchateau L, Kolsteren P: Food insecurity and age at menarche among adolescent girls in Jimma Zone Southwest Ethiopia: a longitudinal study. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2011, 9: 125-10.1186/1477-7827-9-125.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
24.
Monteilh C, Kieszak S, Flanders WD, Maisonet M, Rubin C, Holmes AK, Heron J, Golding J, McGeehin MA, Marcus M: Timing of maturation and predictors of Tanner stage transitions in boys enrolled in a contemporary British cohort. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2011, 25: 75-87. 10.1111/j.1365-3016.2010.01168.x.CrossRefPubMed
25.
Rubin C, Maisonet M, Kieszak S, Monteilh C, Holmes A, Flanders D, Heron J, Golding J, McGeehin M, Marcus M: Timing of maturation and predictors of menarche in girls enrolled in a contemporary British cohort. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2009, 23: 492-504. 10.1111/j.1365-3016.2009.01055.x.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Mainenti MRM, de Sousa RCM, Dias CM, Costa SO, Ferreira AS, de Souza CPV, Araújo AP: Body composition and chest expansion of type II and III spinal muscular atrophy patients. J Hum Growth Develop. 2013, 23: 164-169.CrossRef
27.
Assis MAA, Benedet J, Kerpel R, Vasconcelos FAG, Di Pietro PF, Kupek E: Validation of the third version of the Previous Day Food Questionnaire (PDFQ-3) for students aged 6 to 11 years. Cad Saude Publica. 2009, 25: 1816-1826. 10.1590/S0102-311X2009000800018.CrossRefPubMed
28.
Barros AJ, Hirakata VN: Alternatives for logistic regression in cross-sectional studies: an empirical comparison of models that directly estimate the prevalence ratio. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2003, 3: 21-10.1186/1471-2288-3-21.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
29.
Kleinbaum D, Kupper L, Nizam A, Muller KE: Applied Regression Analysis and Other Multivariable Methods. 2008, Australia: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 4
30.
de Macedo EOS, Conceição MIG: Group actions to promote adolescents health. J Hum Growth Developm. 2013, 23: 231-237.CrossRef
31.
Ristow M: Obesity associated with a mutation in a genetic regulator of adipocyte differentiation. N Engl J Med. 1998, 339: 953-10.1056/NEJM199810013391403.CrossRefPubMed
32.
Spilgeman BM, Flier JS: Adipogenesis and obesity: round out the big picture. Cell. 1996, 87: 377-10.1016/S0092-8674(00)81359-8.CrossRef
33.
Jackson RS: Obesity and impaired prohormone processing associated with mutations in the human prohormone convertose 1 gene. Nat Genet. 1997, 16: 303-10.1038/ng0797-303.CrossRefPubMed
34.
Montague CT: Congenital leptin deficiency is associated with severe early-onset obesity in humans. Nat. 1997, 387: 903-10.1038/43185.CrossRef
35.
Zhang Y: Positional cloning of the mouse obese gene and its human homologue. Nat. 1994, 372: 425-10.1038/372425a0.CrossRef
36.
Perusse L: Acute and chronic effects of exercise on leptin levels in humans. J Appl Physiol. 1997, 83: 5-PubMed
37.
Hassink SG, Sheslow DV, de Lancey E, Opentanova I, Considine RV, Caro JF: Serum leptin in children with obesity: relationship to gender and development. Pediatr. 1996, 98: 201-203.
38.
Blum WF, Englaro P, Hanitsch S: Plasma leptin levels in healthy children an adolescentes: dependence on bodymass index, body fat mass, gender, pubertal stage, and testosterone. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997, 82: 2904-2910. 10.1210/jc.82.9.2904.PubMed
39.
Garcia-Mayor RV: Serum leptin levels in normal children: relation-ship to age, gender, bodymass index, pituitary-gonadal hormones, and pubertal stage. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997, 82: 2849-2855. 10.1210/jc.82.9.2849.PubMed
40.
Matsudo SM, Matsudo VKR: Validity of the self-evaluation of sexual maturity. Rev Bras Ciênc Mov. 1991, 5: 18-35.
41.
Saito MI: Sexual maturity: self-evaluation of the adolescent. Pediatr. 1984, 6: 111-115.
Metadata
Title
Median ages at stages of sexual maturity and excess weight in school children
Authors
Alexandre P Luciano
Jucemar Benedet
Luiz Carlos de Abreu
Vitor E Valenti
Fernando de Souza Almeida
Francisco AG de Vasconcelos
Fernando Adami
Publication date
01-12-2013
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Reproductive Health / Issue 1/2013
Electronic ISSN: 1742-4755
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-4755-10-56

Other articles of this Issue 1/2013

Reproductive Health 1/2013 Go to the issue

Research

The effects of pregnancy intention on the use of antenatal care services: systematic review and meta-analysis

Research

A survey of manual vacuum aspiration’s experiences among the new medical graduates in Thailand

Commentary

Antenatal care packages with reduced visits and perinatal mortality: a secondary analysis of the WHO antenatal care trial - Comentary: routine antenatal visits for healthy pregnant women do make a difference

Study protocol

Bladder pain syndrome: validation of simple tests for diagnosis in women with chronic pelvic pain: BRaVADO study protocol

Research

Antenatal care packages with reduced visits and perinatal mortality: a secondary analysis of the WHO Antenatal Care Trial

Study protocol

COHELLP: collaborative randomized controlled trial on corticosteroids in HELLP syndrome