Data on pubertal development in Greek boys. A longitudinal study.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Longitudinal data on boys' puberty evolution are not available in Greece and very few such studies have been reported world-wide. We present data from a longitudinal study on height, weight, BMI and age at the different pubertal stages in Greek boys. DESIGN: At the start of the study 204 prepubertal boys aged 8-10 years, were enrolled. Measurements were carried out every 3-6 months for 7.5 years. RESULTS: At pubertal stage G2 the mean age and SD was 10.3 (1.0), the height 143.4 cm or 82.3% of final height and the BMI 18.6 kg/m(2). Mean age at peak height velocity was 13.2 (1.0) years and at final height 17.1 (0.9) years. At peak height velocity, the height accounted for 91.5% of the final height. The time elapsed from the beginning to the end of puberty (duration of pubertal process) was 6.2 (0.6) years. The height gain during puberty was 31.0 (4.0) cm and the weight gain 36.3 (8.1)kg. CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinal data on pubertal development are rather sparse, especially for males. Although the present study was carried out in an urban population of the Athens region, the data could be useful in delineating prognosis of puberty evolution and final height in boys.