Whether children, especially girls, are entering and progressing through puberty earlier today than in the mid-1900s has been debated. Secular trend analysis, based on available data, is limited by data comparability among studies in different popu-lations, in different periods of time, and using different methods. As a result, conclusions from data comparisons have not been consistent. An expert panel was asked to evaluate the weight of evidence for whether the data, collected from 1940 to 1994, are sufficient to suggest or establish a secular trend in the timing of puberty markers in US boys or girls. A majority of the panelists agreed that data are sufficient to suggest a trend toward an earlier breast development onset and menarche in girls but not for other female pubertal markers. A minority of panelists concluded that the current data on girls' puberty timing for any marker are insufficient. Almost all panelists concluded, on the basis of few studies and reliability issues of some male puberty markers, that current data for boys are insufficient to evaluate secular trends in male pubertal development. The panel agreed that altered puberty timing should be considered an adverse effect, although the magnitude of change considered adverse was not assessed. The panel recommended (1) additional analyses of existing puberty-timing data to examine secular trends and trends in the temporal sequence of pubertal events;(2) the development of biomarkers for pubertal timing and methods to discriminate fat versus breast tissue, and (3) establishment of cohorts to examine pubertal markers longitudinally within the same individuals.
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February 2008
Supplement Article|
February 01 2008
Examination of US Puberty-Timing Data from 1940 to 1994 for Secular Trends: Panel Findings
Susan Y. Euling, PhD;
aNational Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC;
Address correspondence to Susan Y. Euling, PhD, US Environmental Protection Agency, National Centerfor Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, Mail Code 8623P, US EnvironmentalProtection Agency,1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW,Washington, DC 20460. E-mail: euling.susan@epa.gov
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Marcia E. Herman-Giddens, PA, DrPH;
Marcia E. Herman-Giddens, PA, DrPH
bDepartment of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina;
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Peter A. Lee, MD, PhD;
Peter A. Lee, MD, PhD
cDepartment of Pediatrics, Penn State College of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania;
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Sherry G. Selevan, PhD;
Sherry G. Selevan, PhD
aNational Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC;
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Anders Juul, MD, DMSc;
Anders Juul, MD, DMSc
dUniversity Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej, Copenhagen, Denmark;
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Thorkild I. A. SØrensen, MD, DMSc;
Thorkild I. A. SØrensen, MD, DMSc
eDanish Epidemiology Science Centre, Institute of Preventive Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark;
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Leo Dunkel, PhD;
Leo Dunkel, PhD
f Division of Endocrinology DIabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Biomedicum, University of Helsinki;
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John H. Himes, PhD, MPH;
John H. Himes, PhD, MPH
gDivision of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota;
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Grete Teilmann, MD, PhD;
Grete Teilmann, MD, PhD
dUniversity Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej, Copenhagen, Denmark;
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Shanna H. Swan, PhD
Shanna H. Swan, PhD
hDepartment of Family &Communty Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
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Address correspondence to Susan Y. Euling, PhD, US Environmental Protection Agency, National Centerfor Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, Mail Code 8623P, US EnvironmentalProtection Agency,1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW,Washington, DC 20460. E-mail: euling.susan@epa.gov
The authors have indicated they have no financial relationships relevant to thisarticle todisclose.
Pediatrics (2008) 121 (Supplement_3): S172–S191.
Article history
Accepted:
September 05 2007
Citation
Susan Y. Euling, Marcia E. Herman-Giddens, Peter A. Lee, Sherry G. Selevan, Anders Juul, Thorkild I. A. SØrensen, Leo Dunkel, John H. Himes, Grete Teilmann, Shanna H. Swan; Examination of US Puberty-Timing Data from 1940 to 1994 for Secular Trends: Panel Findings. Pediatrics February 2008; 121 (Supplement_3): S172–S191. 10.1542/peds.2007-1813D
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