Modeling Pubertal Growth Variability in Schoolchildren From Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil: A Bayesian...

Area of Science:

• Human growth and development
• Pediatric endocrinology
• Biostatistics

Background:

• Puberty involves significant changes in growth velocity.
• Understanding inter-individual variation is crucial for accurate assessments.
• Maturity status influences the timing and intensity of growth spurts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe inter-individual variation in growth velocity during puberty among Brazilian children.
• To analyze differences in growth spurts considering maturity status.
• To compare Brazilian children's pubertal growth with other populations.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal stature data from 398 Brazilian children (aged 6-19 years) were analyzed.
• The SITAR model within a Bayesian framework estimated growth and velocity curves.
• Participants were classified into early, average, or late maturers based on age at peak growth velocity.

Main Results:

• Mean age at peak growth velocity was 11.30 years for girls and 13.55 years for boys.
• Mean peak velocities were 8.38 cm/year (girls) and 9.52 cm/year (boys).
• Early maturers showed earlier onset and higher velocities; late maturers exhibited delayed growth.

Conclusions:

• Significant variability exists in pubertal growth velocity patterns.
• Brazilian children display earlier and more intense pubertal growth spurts compared to Northern Hemisphere populations.
• Maturational timing is critical for physical education, training load management, and pediatric growth assessment.