Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China.
Am J Hum Biol. 2011 Jan-Feb;23(1):132-7. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.21116.
Concerns regarding change in the onset and tempo of pubertal growth in ethnic Chinese have posed a need for current information on growth characteristics. This study is to update the normative data of pubertal linear growth characteristics and distribution of age at menarche in healthy Chinese adolescents.
A multistage stratified cluster sampling investigation based on age and sex was designed for anthropometric data collection in 2008, including 15,204 healthy boys and 13,047 healthy girls. The PB1 mathematical growth model was utilized to derive biological parameters of the adolescent growth curves. Ages at menarche were estimated in 6,476 girls through probit analysis at the ages at which 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 90% of the girls attained menarche.
The peak growth age (PGA) was 12.6 years for boys and 10.6 years for girls. The PHV was 6.91 cm/yr in boys and 6.69 cm/yr in girls. The overall increments of adult height since 1985 were 3.3 cm for males and 2.3 cm for females, yielded rates of 1.4 and 1.0 cm/decade, respectively. Less than 10% of Chinese girls experience onset of menses before 11.38 years, and approximately 90% of all Chinese girls are menstruating by 13.88 years, with a median age of 12.63 years.
The current study showed an advancing trend in PGA in both Chinese boys and girls. Decreasing menarche age was also observed for Chinese girls. These updated data would serve as useful reference for interpretation of endocrine and growth status and growth disorders in Chinese during peripubertal period.
由于对华人青春期开始和速度的变化的担忧，需要提供当前关于生长特征的信息。本研究旨在更新中国健康青少年青春期线性生长特征和初潮年龄分布的规范数据。
2008 年采用多阶段分层整群抽样调查，按年龄和性别收集人体测量数据，共纳入 15204 名健康男童和 13047 名健康女童。采用 PB1 数学生长模型推导出青少年生长曲线的生物学参数。通过在初潮年龄达到 10%、25%、50%、75%和 90%的女童年龄进行概率分析，估计 6476 名女童的初潮年龄。
男孩的峰值生长年龄（PGA）为 12.6 岁，女孩为 10.6 岁。男孩的 PHV 为 6.91cm/yr，女孩为 6.69cm/yr。自 1985 年以来，男性身高增长的总体增量为 3.3cm，女性为 2.3cm，增长率分别为 1.4cm/decade 和 1.0cm/decade。不到 10%的中国女孩在 11.38 岁之前出现初潮，约 90%的中国女孩在 13.88 岁时初潮，中位数年龄为 12.63 岁。
本研究显示，中国男童和女童的 PGA 均呈提前趋势。中国女孩的初潮年龄也呈下降趋势。这些最新数据将为解释中国青少年青春期期间的内分泌和生长状况以及生长障碍提供有用的参考。
