This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on ISI (54)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related article  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Adolescent Medicine  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Estimates From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, 1988-1994

Marcia E. Herman-Giddens, PA, MPH, DrPH; Lily Wang, MS; Gary Koch, PhD

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2001;155:1022-1028.

Background  Descriptive data on pubertal stages for a representative population of racially and ethnically diverse boys in the United States have not been published to our knowledge.

Objective  To determine at what ages boys in the United States reach each of the 5 sexual maturity stages for genital and pubic hair growth.

Design and Setting  Cross-sectional survey from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III), 1988-1994.

Participants  A population-based sample of 2114 boys aged 8 to 19 years representing 16 575 753 boys according to NHANES III sampling strategies. The sample included white, African American, and Mexican American boys.

Main Outcome Measures  Sexual maturity stages for genital maturation and pubic hair growth.

Results  The median (equivalent mean) ages at stage 2 for pubic hair development of white, African American, and Mexican American boys were 12.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.7-12.3), 11.2 (95% CI, 10.9-11.4), and 12.3 (95% CI, 12.1-12.6) years, respectively, and at stage 2 for genital growth were 10.1 (95% CI, 9.6-10.6), 9.5 (95% CI, 8.9-10.0), and 10.4 (95% CI, 9.6-11.1) years, respectively. All 3 groups were significantly taller and heavier than boys in previous NHANES reports and showed earlier genital maturation and pubic hair growth than previous studies based on Tanner staging. Statistically significant differences among the 3 racial/ethnic groups were found in the median ages of onset of pubic hair growth and genital development at stage 5 with and without controlling for height and weight, indicating an earlier age of attainment for the African American boys.

Conclusions  The median (mean) ages at the onset of genital and pubic hair growth were younger than in past studies. Additional studies are required to further evaluate these findings and to explore the public health implications.

From the Departments of Maternal and Child Health (Dr Herman-Giddens) and Biostatistics (Ms Wang and Dr Koch), School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr Herman-Giddens is also a senior fellow at the North Carolina Child Advocacy Institute, Raleigh.

Corresponding author: Marcia E. Herman-Giddens, PA, MPH, DrPH, 1450 Russell Chapel Rd, Pittsboro, NC 27312 (e-mail: mherman-giddens{at}unc.edu).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati     What's this?

RELATED ARTICLE

Have the Onset and Tempo of Puberty Changed?
Edward O. Reiter and Peter A. Lee
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2001;155(9):988-989.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

The sensitivity of the child to sex steroids: possible impact of exogenous estrogens
Aksglaede et al.
Hum Reprod Update 2006;12:341-349.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Prevalence and Incidence of Precocious Pubertal Development in Denmark: An Epidemiologic Study Based on National Registries
Teilmann et al.
Pediatrics 2005;116:1323-1328.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Economic, Racial, and Cultural Influences on the Growth and Maturation of Children
Graham
Pediatr. Rev. 2005;26:290-294.
FULL TEXT  

The Change in Blood Pressure during Pubertal Growth
Shankar et al.
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 2005;90:163-167.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Clinical Characteristics of 104 Children Referred for Evaluation of Precocious Puberty
Kaplowitz
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 2004;89:3644-3650.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Navigating the Recent Articles on Girls' Puberty in Pediatrics: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go from Here?
Herman-Giddens et al.
Pediatrics 2004;113:911-917.
FULL TEXT  

The Timing of Normal Puberty and the Age Limits of Sexual Precocity: Variations around the World, Secular Trends, and Changes after Migration
Parent et al.
Endocr. Rev. 2003;24:668-693.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Pedigree Analysis of Constitutional Delay of Growth and Maturation: Determination of Familial Aggregation and Inheritance Patterns
Sedlmeyer et al.
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 2002;87:5581-5586.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Is Obesity Associated With Early Sexual Maturation? A Comparison of the Association in American Boys Versus Girls
Wang
Pediatrics 2002;110:903-910.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

National Estimates of the Timing of Sexual Maturation and Racial Differences Among US Children
Sun et al.
Pediatrics 2002;110:911-919.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Earlier Onset and Racial Differences of Puberty in Boys
JWatch General 2001;2001:5-5.
FULL TEXT  

Have the Onset and Tempo of Puberty Changed?
Reiter and Lee
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2001;155:988-989.
FULL TEXT