Abstract
Early puberty is a risk factor for adult diseases and biomedical and psychosocial research implicate growth (in height and weight) and stress as modifiable drivers of early puberty. Seldom have studies examined these drivers simultaneously or concurrently using quantitative and qualitative methods. Within the context of migration, we used mixed-methods to compare growth, stress and puberty in a study of 488 girls, aged 5–16, who were either Bangladeshi, first-generation migrant to the UK, second-generation migrant, or white British (conducted between 2009 and 2011). Using a biocultural framework, we asked the questions: 1) Does migration accelerate pubertal processes? 2) What biocultural markers are associated with migration? 3) What biocultural markers are associated with puberty? Girls self-reported pubertal stage, recalled 24-h dietary intake, and answered questions relating to dress, food, and ethnic identity. We collected anthropometrics and assayed saliva specimens for dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) to assess adrenarcheal status. Our findings demonstrate that first-generation migrants had earlier puberty than second-generation migrants and Bangladeshi girls. British style of dress did not increase with migration, while dietary choices did, which were reflected in increasing body mass index. However, the widely-used phrase, “I'm proud of my religion, but not my culture” demonstrated that ethnic identity was aligned more with Islamic religion than ‘Bangladeshi culture.’ This was epitomized by wearing the hijab, but denial of eating rice. The social correlates of puberty, such as ‘practicing’ wearing the hijab and becoming ‘dedicated to the scarf,’ occurred at the same ages as adrenarche and menarche, respectively, among first-generation girls. We suggest that the rejection of ‘Bangladeshi culture’ might be a source of psychosocial stress for first-generation girls, and this may explain elevated DHEA-S levels and early puberty compared to their second-generation counterparts. Our results support a biocultural model of adolescence, a period for biological embedding of culture, when biological and psychosocial factors adjust developmental timing with potential positive and negative implications for long-term health.
Highlights
Puberty marks a transition to maturity encompassing unparalleled biosocial changes that are only second in rate of growth to those experienced during infancy
Established drivers of pubertal timing include ethnicity; growth in height, weight, and body mass index (BMI); and stress. (Greenspan and Deardorff, 2014 ) Variation in age at pubertal onset within ethnic groups by migration status challenges the notion that genetic factors explain differences in pubertal timing; rather, the quality of early environments characterized by differential growth in height, weight and BMI and psychosocial stress consistently emerge as major factors driving pubertal timing (Perkins et al, 2016)
We address the following research questions: 1) Does migration accelerate pubertal processes?? 2) What biocultural markers are associated with migration? 3) What biocultural markers are associated with puberty, how do ages of biological and cultural of markers puberty compare across the different migrant groups?
Summary
Puberty marks a transition to maturity encompassing unparalleled biosocial changes that are only second in rate of growth (in height and weight) to those experienced during infancy. In relation to social aspects of puberty, in 2018 Carol Worthman elegantly illustrated how between the mid 1800s to the early 2000s, the age at biological maturation declined while the age at social maturation (measured as years in school) increased, arguing that adolescence is becoming a longer transition within the lifecourse (Worthman and Trang, 2018). This mismatch between the ages of biological and social maturation is reinforced by the different approaches disciplines take when studying puberty. Despite the biosocial nature of puberty, few studies have taken a biocultural approach when comparing the timing, drivers, and experience of puberty across populations
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