The relation between adolescents' body mass index and bone age

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Human Growth and Development
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Adolescent health and nutritional status are critical indicators of growth and development.
• Bone age (BA) serves as a primary index of skeletal maturation and overall human development.
• Prolonged poor nutrition can negatively impact bone development, leading to a delay in BA relative to chronological age (CA).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and bone age (BA) in adolescents.
• To assess how BMI, chronological age, and maturational stage influence bone age determination.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 172 adolescents.
• Evaluation of body mass index (BMI), chronological age (CA), bone age (BA), and maturational stage.
• Bone age determination using digital carpal radiographs.

Main Results:

• The majority of adolescents (73.9%) had an adequate nutritional state.
• Significant differences in maturational stages were observed between sexes (p < 0.001).
• Adolescents in peak height velocity (PHV) showed higher average bone ages (p = 0.005).
• A strong correlation between BMI and BA was found in pre-pubertal girls (r = 0.998), and a moderate correlation in girls at PHV (r = 0.421).
• Chronological age, maturational stage, and BMI collectively explained 50.3% of the variability in bone age.

Conclusions:

• Body mass index (BMI) demonstrates a significant relationship with bone age (BA) in adolescents.
• Bone age is influenced by a combination of chronological age, maturational stage, and BMI.