Review article
The Timing of Puberty: Is It Changing? Does It Matter?

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.05.018Get rights and content

Abstract

Whether the secular trend of a decreasing age of puberty has continued over the past 50 years remains controversial. Data that had been classically used to address this issue are reviewed and large epidemiologic studies, which had not previously been included, are now considered to challenge the conclusions of prior debates of this topic. The effect and timing of excessive weight gain are discussed in detail and recent observations about the opposing effects of obesity on the pubertal timing of girls versus boys are considered. The second half of the review examines both the causes and the long-term health consequences of early puberty, touching on the possible effect of stress and endocrine-disrupting chemicals along with the risks of reproductive cancers, metabolic syndrome, and psychosocial consequences during adolescence and beyond.

Section snippets

U.S. puberty timing data

Puberty data for U.S. boys and girls have been collected from large national examination surveys over the past 40 years. However, rigorous comparisons between studies of pubertal timing are fraught with complicating factors. Studies have varied by design, population characteristics, ages of the children included, methods of pubertal assessment, and statistical analyses. This has led to difficulties and inconsistencies in adequately comparing trends over time. Additionally, Tanner staging is

Does the Timing of Puberty Really Matter?

In contemplating the public health significance of puberty shifting to an earlier age, there are two ways to think about the issue. The first is to consider whether pressures causing this change are of concern, and the second is to consider whether there are worrisome long-term consequences of earlier puberty.

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