Epidemiological survey on pubertal developmental characteristics of primary school students in Yangzhou City
10.16835/j.cnki.1000-9817.2025180
- VernacularTitle:扬州市小学生青春期发育特征的流行病学调查
- Author:
DOU Chengyin, ZHANG Lei, GE Baojin, WANG Lei
1
Author Information
1. Child Healthcare Department of Yangzhou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225002, Jiangsu Province, China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Adolescent development;
Tanner staging;
Growth and development;
Child
- From:
Chinese Journal of School Health
2025;46(7):1019-1022
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To investigate the timing of puberty onset among primary school students, so as to provide the reference data for early identification of children with suspected precocious puberty.
Methods:A study was conducted from October 23 to November 7, 2023, involving 10 225 students(5 412 boys, 4 813 girls) from grade 1 to 6 of four campuses in Meiling Primary School in Yangzhou. Breast development in girls and external genitalia in boys was assessed via visual inspection and palpation, with pubertal stages classified using the Tanner staging method. Puberty onset timing was determined based on age/sex reference values from Chinese Han children s pubertal milestone indicators. Descriptive analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0.
Results:The median age for testicular volume reaching 4 mL in boys was 10.49 years, while the median age for breast development onset in girls was 9.70 years. Among boys with testicular volume ≥4 mL, 16.6%( n =217) were identified as suspected early puberty cases; among girls with Tanner stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ, 123(9.4%) and 165(18.5%) showed earlier breast development than the reference range. Overall, 14.4% of students exhibited suspected precocious puberty.
Conclusion:The onset age of puberty for girls in primary schools of Yangzhou aligns with findings from other regions, while boys show earlier pubertal initiation.
