Associations between infant growth and pubertal onset timing in a multiethnic prospective cohort of girls

Early puberty increases risk of adverse health conditions throughout the life course. US girls are experiencing earlier puberty without clear reasons. Studies suggest early life factors, such as infant growth, may influence pubertal timing. We assessed the associations between infant growth and onse...

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Published in:BMC pediatrics 2022-03, Vol.22 (1), p.171-11, Article 171
Main Authors: Aghaee, Sara, Quesenberry, Jr, Charles P, Deardorff, Julianna, Kushi, Lawrence H, Greenspan, Louise C, Ferrara, Assiamira, Kubo, Ai
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent health
Age
Body mass index
Child
Child, Preschool
Childhood overweight
Cohort Studies
Complications and side effects
Development
Electronic health records
Estimates
Ethnicity
Female
Girls
Hair
Humans
Infant development
Infant, Newborn
Infants
Menarche
Obesity
Obesity in children
Overweight
Pediatric Obesity
Pediatric research
Pediatrics
Precocious puberty
Prospective Studies
Puberty
Risk factors
Teenagers
Trends
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Summary:Early puberty increases risk of adverse health conditions throughout the life course. US girls are experiencing earlier puberty without clear reasons. Studies suggest early life factors, such as infant growth, may influence pubertal timing. We assessed the associations between infant growth and onset of breast development (thelarche), pubic hair development (pubarche), and menarche in girls. A prospective cohort of girls born at a Kaiser Permanente Northern California medical facility in 2005-11 was used. Weight-for-age z-scores were calculated at birth and 24 months. Difference in z-scores greater than 0.67 represent rapid "catch-up" growth, less than -0.67 represent delayed "catch-down" growth, and between -0.67 and 0.67 represent "normal" growth. Pubertal onset was measured using clinician-assessed sexual maturity ratings (SMRs) and defined as the age at transition from SMR 1 to SMR 2 + for both thelarche and pubarche. SMR data was collected through June 2020. Menarche was analyzed as a secondary outcome. Weibull and modified Poisson regression models were used. Models were adjusted for potential confounders. There were 15,196 girls included in the study. Approximately 30.2% experienced catch-up growth, 25.8% experienced catch-down growth, and 44% had normal growth. Girls with catch-up growth had increased risk of earlier thelarche (hazard ratio = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.18, 1.35), pubarche (1.38, 95% CI: 1.28, 1.48), and menarche (
ISSN:1471-2431
1471-2431
DOI:10.1186/s12887-022-03242-0