| The timing of sexual maturation and secular trends of menarchial age in Korean adolescents |
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Mi Jung Park1, In-Sook Lee2, Eun-Kyung Shin3, Hyojee Joung3, Sung-Il Cho3 |
1epartment of Pediatrics, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine
2College of Nursing, Seoul National University
3School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea |
| 한국 청소년의 성성숙 시기 및 장기간의 초경연령 추세분석 |
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박미정1, 이인숙2, 신은경3, 정효지3, 조성일3 |
1인제대학교 의과대학 상계백병원 소아과
2서울대학교 간호대학
3서울대학교 보건대학원 |
Correspondence:
Mi Jung Park, Email: PMJ@sanggyepaik.ac.kr
Sung-Il Cho, Email: scho@snu.ac.kr
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| Abstract |
Purpose
: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the timing of sexual maturation and secular trends of menarchial age in Korean adolescents.
Methods
: Nine hundred eighty two school students and 119 university female students were included. Tanner's pubertal assessment method was applied using a self-assessment sheet with pictures for their developmental stages. A medical checkup database from 1,156,022 women was also used to analyze the age of menarche from the year 1900 to 1980.
Results
: Onset of puberty was at 11.3¡¾1.3 years(y) in girls and 12.1¡¾1.5 y in boys and total pubertal duration was 3.6 y in girls and 3.3 y in boys. Height at the onset of puberty was 146.1¡¾7.9 cm in girls and 152.7¡¾9.8 cm in boys. Weight at the onset of puberty was 39.3¡¾6.9 kg in girls and 47.7¡¾14.4 kg in boys. The mean age of menarche was 12.0¡¾1.0 y and mean age at nocturnal emission was 12.3¡¾1.8 y. By age ten, 3.0 percent of girls experienced menarche, which increased to 41.1 percent by age 12, and 98.0 percent by age over 15. By SMR 2 breast stage, 18.2 percent of girls experienced menarche, which increased to 66.1 percent and 91.7 percent by SMR stages 3 and 4, respectively. By SMR 2 pubic hair stage, 52.0 percent and by SMR 3, 93.8 percent of girls experienced menarche. While the menarchial age of women born around 1980 was 12.4¡¾1.1 y, the menarchial age of women born around 1990 was 12.0¡¾1.1 y. Age at menarche has been advanced approximately by 2 years between 1900 and 1980 birth cohorts.
Conclusion
: There was a downward secular trend in pubertal timing. Age at menarche has been advanced by 2 years during the last 80 years. Further large scale, prospective studies, including inspection by specialists, are needed to provide reference data for pubertal timing in Korean adolescents. |
| Key Words:
Pubertal timing , Menarche , Secular trend |
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