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Bone maturation reflects the secular trend in growth.
H Matsuoka1, K Sato, S Sugihara
1Department of Pediatrics, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Daini Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. hej-matsuoka@nifty.ne.jp
Hormone Research
|March 22, 2000
Summary
Environmental factors did not significantly alter skeletal maturation between 1986 and 1996. Bone maturation scores and height remained consistent across both study groups, indicating stable growth trends over the decade.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric endocrinology
- Anthropology
- Public health
Background:
- Skeletal maturation is a key indicator of child development.
- Environmental factors are hypothesized to influence growth patterns over time.
- Secular trends in growth have been observed globally.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of potential environmental changes on skeletal maturation.
- To compare skeletal maturity between children from the mid-1980s and mid-1990s.
- To assess secular trends in growth and maturation over a decade.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of X-ray data from two distinct cohorts (1986 and 1996).
- Utilized the Tanner-Whitehouse 2-RUS method for skeletal maturity scoring.
- Employed Wilcoxon's rank sum test to determine statistical significance between groups.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in skeletal maturation were detected between the 1986 and 1996 cohorts.
- Children in both groups achieved similar skeletal maturity scores at comparable ages.
- Height measurements also showed no significant differences between the two time periods.
Conclusions:
- Skeletal maturation appears to be stable and not significantly affected by environmental changes between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s.
- The findings suggest that bone maturation reflects established secular growth trends rather than rapid environmental influences.
- Further research may explore other factors influencing long-term growth patterns.