A study of factors influencing advanced puberty

Park, Yong Jun; Moon, Chang Min; Yoo, Hwang Jae

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the timing of puberty and the factors inducing advanced puberty in elemental school students of low grades.
METHODS
The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade elemental students from the Goyang province were randomly selected, and their sexual maturation rate was assessed by physical examination. After obtaining an informed consent, a questionnaire was administered to the parents; eating habits, lifestyle, use of growth-inducing medication, and present illness of the students were evaluated to determine the factors that induced advanced puberty. The data were statistically analyzed.
RESULTS
We selected 170 children and the girls:boys sex ratio was 1.2:1. Two 9-year-old boys were in genital stage 2. Two (14.3%) 6-year-old girls, 6 (19.4%) 7-year-old girls, 15 (39.6%) 8-year-old girls, and 4 (57.1%) 9-year-old girls were in breast stage 2. The average pubertal timing predicted for girls was 9.11+/-1.86 years. The main factors influencing pubertal timing were obesity scale, frequency of eating fast food, and the use of growth-inducing medication. A high rating on the obesity scale and high frequency of eating fast food indicated advanced stage of puberty. Growth-inducing medication induced puberty through obesity.
CONCLUSION
We proposed that predictive average pubertal timing in girls was 9.11+/-1.86 years, which was consistent with the previously reported findings from abroad. The significant influencing factors in advanced puberty were obesity scale and frequency of fast food.