Assessing pubertal status in multi-ethnic primary schoolchildren.

Abstract

Pubertal status is related to childhood growth and independently associated with health outcomes such as lung function, blood pressure and mental health (1). However, self-assessment of pubertal status is difficult in young children as relevant questions may either be too difficult for young children, especially boys, to answer reliably or perceived to be culturally inappropriate (1–5). This is especially true for overweight children (6). The Size and Lung function In Children (SLIC) study was designed to explore ethnic differences in lung function and body physique in a multi-ethnic population of London schoolchildren (7). As part of this study, we collected both self-reports and parental reports of pubertal status in children aged eight to 11 years, both to investigate the feasibility of assessing the attainment of secondary sex characteristics, as a proxy for pubertal status in this population, and to explore any ethnic differences in rates of pubertal attainment.