Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Collecting Hair Samples for Hair Cortisol Analysis in African Americans
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Collecting Hair Samples for Hair Cortisol Analysis in African Americans

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Hair Cortisol Concentrations in Children: A Longitudinal Analysis Across Childhood

Miguel Ángel Baos-González1,2, Javier De Echarri-Lorente1,2, María Ángeles García-León3

  • 1Centro de Investigación Mente, Cerebro Y Comportamiento (CIMCYC), Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain.

Developmental Psychobiology
|April 20, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) in children decreases with age, with notable sex differences appearing at age 3. Factors like birth height and maternal health influence early childhood HCC levels.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Pediatric Health
  • Human Development

Background:

  • Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is a biomarker for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity.
  • Understanding developmental changes and sex differences in pediatric HCC is crucial.
  • Longitudinal data on HCC across childhood is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the developmental trajectory of hair cortisol concentration (HCC) from birth to 7 years.
  • To investigate potential sex differences in HCC during childhood.
  • To identify sociodemographic and perinatal factors influencing children's HCC.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 212 mother-child dyads.
  • Collection of sociodemographic and perinatal data.
  • Measurement of offspring hair cortisol concentration (HCC) from birth to 7 years.

Main Results:

  • HCC decreased with age, with the steepest decline in early childhood.
  • Females exhibited higher HCC than males at 3 years of age.
  • Birth height, maternal BMI, maternal weight, and gestational week were associated with HCC at various ages.

Conclusions:

  • Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) follows a distinct developmental path in childhood.
  • Sociodemographic and perinatal factors significantly impact early childhood HCC.
  • This study provides normative HCC percentiles and insights into pediatric HPA axis regulation.

Keywords:
HPA axischildrenhair cortisol concentrationlongitudinal studypercentiles

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