Association between sexual maturation with neck circumference and body mass index in Brazilian schoolchildren

Autores/as

  • Cecilia Burigo Corrêa Universidade da Região de Joinville, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde e Meio Ambiente; Universidade da Região de Joinville, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Curso de Nutrição. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8176-8334
  • Daniela dos Santos Universidade da Região de Joinville, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde e Meio Ambiente. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9865-4883
  • Silmara Salete de Barros Silva Mastroeni Universidade da Região de Joinville, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde e Meio Ambiente; Universidade da Região de Joinville, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Curso de Nutrição. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0559-1797
  • Marco Fabio Mastroeni Universidade da Região de Joinville, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde e Meio Ambiente; Universidade da Região de Joinville, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Curso de Nutrição. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9276-8866

Palabras clave:

Body mass index, Children, Puberty, Sexual precocity

Resumen

Objective
We aimed to evaluate the association of neck circumference and body mass index with sexual maturation in nine-year-old children.

Methods
This is a cross-sectional study nested in a Brazilian cohort study named the Predictors of Maternal and Infant Excess Body Weight Study. The present study used data from adult women and their children obtained at baseline and after 2 and 9 years of follow-up. The child’s sexual maturation was assessed according to Tanner stage. Logistic regression models adjusting for important covariates were used to examine the association of neck circumference with Tanner stages.

Results
The prevalence in stages 2-5 for breast development in girls and for genitalia in boys was 69.1% and 51.3%, respectively. There was a higher (p<0.05) percentage of girls (35.3%) at stages 2-5 for pubic hair development when compared to boys (9.2%). For each unit increase in body mass index and neck circumference, the odds of girls being 2-5 stages for breast development were 1.52 (95% CI 1.17-1.97) and 2.67 (95% CI 1.40-5.09) times, respectively. In other words, the odds of girls being 2-5 stages for breast development were about 1.8 times higher when neck circumference was considered as a predictor, in relation to the body mass index measure
(OR=2.67 vs. OR=1.52, respectively).

Conclusion Our results revealed that neck circumference, as well as body mass index, is associated with sexual maturation, especially in girls. This is an important result from a public health perspective because, in addition to body mass index, neck circumference may also be used for monitoring sexual maturation in children.

Citas

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Publicado

2025-06-11

Cómo citar

Corrêa, C. B., dos Santos, D., Mastroeni, S. S. de B. S., & Mastroeni, M. F. (2025). Association between sexual maturation with neck circumference and body mass index in Brazilian schoolchildren. Revista De Nutrição, 37. Recuperado a partir de https://seer.sis.puc-campinas.edu.br/nutricao/article/view/16174

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Sección

AVALIAÇÃO NUTRICIONAL