| dc.description.abstract | Background: Early sexual maturation has been associated with overweight that may persist after
the completion of biological growth and development. We have prospectively examined the
influence of early sexual maturation on subsequent overweight in late adolescence and assessed if
this association was modified by central adiposity in early adolescence.
Methods: 1605 Norwegian adolescents were followed from early (baseline, mean age 14.2 years)
to late adolescence (follow-up, mean age 18.2 years). Maturational timing was assessed by selfreports
of pubertal status (PDS) in boys and age at menarche (AAM) in girls. Central adiposity was
classified according to waist circumference (waist) measured at baseline, using age and gender
specific medians as cut off. Overweight was classified according to International Obesity Task Force
(IOTF) standards.
Results: At follow-up, early sexual maturation in girls, but not in boys, was associated with
overweight. This association, however, was restricted to girls with high waist circumference (>
median) at baseline (OR, 2.7, 95% CI 1.5–4.9). Thus, age at menarche was not associated with
overweight in girls with low waist (≤ median) at baseline. Central adiposity was, independent of
maturational timing, associated with higher BMI at follow-up in both genders, but differences were
more pronounced among early matured girls (3.5 kg/m2), than among intermediate (2.7 kg/m2) and
late matured girls (1.2 kg/m2).
Conclusion: In girls, the combination of central adiposity and early age at menarche appears to
increase the risk of being overweight in late adolescence. | nb_NO |
