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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Pubertal correlates in black and white girls
Frank M Biro1, Bin Huang, Patricia B Crawford
1University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Division of Adolescent Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA. frank.biro@cchmc.org
The Journal of Pediatrics
|February 24, 2006
Summary
Pubertal maturation in US girls shows a moderate correlation between menarche and puberty onset. This correlation has decreased over time, indicating unique influencing factors for each event.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Human Growth and Development
- Adolescent Health
Background:
- Pubertal maturation is a critical factor in understanding adolescent physical and social development.
- Accurate assessment of pubertal timing is essential for various research studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine pubertal parameters in a cohort of US girls.
- To analyze the temporal relationship between the onset of puberty and menarche.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 1156 Black and White girls recruited at age 9, followed annually for 10 years.
- Utilized the Preece-Baines model 1 to estimate pubertal tempo and growth parameters.
- Calculated the temporal trend between age of menarche and onset of puberty.
Main Results:
- Mean age of puberty onset was 10.2 years for White girls and 9.6 years for Black girls.
- Mean age of menarche was 12.6 years for White girls and 12.0 years for Black girls.
- A moderate correlation (r=.37) was observed between menarche and onset of puberty.
Conclusions:
- Menarche is commonly used as a marker for puberty, but its correlation with the actual onset of puberty is only moderate.
- The correlation between menarche and puberty onset has decreased significantly over the past 50 years.
- Distinct factors likely influence the timing of puberty onset and menarche independently.
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