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Accuracy of pubertal Tanner staging self-reporting.
Jean-Claude Desmangles1, Joan M Lappe, Gina Lipaczewski
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology/Diabetes, Creighton University, Omaha, NE 68131, USA. jeanclaudi@creighton.edu
Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism : JPEM
|April 13, 2006
Summary
Self-reported Tanner stages are unreliable for assessing pubertal development in children. This study found significant inaccuracies in self-assessments for both girls and boys, regardless of age.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric endocrinology
- Human growth and development
Background:
- Reliability of self-reported Tanner stages has yielded inconsistent findings in prior research.
- Accurate assessment of pubertal development is crucial for monitoring child health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability of self-reported Tanner stages in a cohort of lean, healthy children.
- To compare self-assessments with expert clinical ratings.
Main Methods:
- 240 children (130 girls, 110 boys) self-reported their Tanner stage.
- Self-reported stages were compared to a pediatric endocrinologist's assessment.
- Kappa statistics were used to analyze inter-rater reliability.
Main Results:
- 40% of girls incorrectly reported breast Tanner stage (kappa=0.49) and 23% incorrectly reported pubic Tanner stage (kappa=0.68).
- 39% of boys incorrectly reported pubic Tanner stage (kappa=0.49).
- No significant difference in age or identifiable predictors for accurate self-assessment was found.
Conclusions:
- Self-reported Tanner pubertal staging is not a reliable method for assessing Tanner stage in children.
- Age does not influence the accuracy of self-reported Tanner staging.