A Longitudinal Study of Brazilian Adolescents' Growth

Abstract

Objectives: The goal of this research was to document the changes in adolescents' heights over a three-year period and look into how these changes related to age, gender, sexual maturation, and nutritional markers. Methods: Age, gender, height, body weight, body mass index, sexual maturity as measured by the Tanner scale, menarche date, birth weight and height, childhood obesity, length of nursing, family income, and mother education level were all evaluated. Logistic regressions, percentile analyses, and two-way analyses of variance, often known as the Friedman test, were used for statistical analysis. Results: 557 teenagers between the ages of 10 and 15 made up the sample; 54% of them were female. At the first, second, and third year follow-up assessments, the average heights were 152.02 ± 9.26 cm, 156.75 ± 8.61 cm, and 160.13 ± 8.14 cm, respectively. For girls and boys, the average height growth from baseline to the conclusion of the research was 6.74 cm and 9.73 cm, respectively. Ten-year-old underweight prepubescent boys had a greater mean growth velocity (GV) (5.4 cm/year). Lower GVs were linked to body weight (OR 1.05; 1.03–1.07), age (older adolescents; OR 2.43; 1.84–3.21), and gender (girls: odds ratio [OR] = 5.97; 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 3.36–10.59). Conclusions: Adolescent diagnoses were more accurate when development was evaluated according to sexual maturation stage rather than age. Growth was restricted by being female, overweight, and older. Brazilian teenagers attending public schools showed progress that was equivalent to global standards.