Girls growing up in higher-income homes without a biological father are likely to reach puberty earlier than others.
Girls growing up in higher-income homes without a biological father are likely to reach puberty earlier than others.
The age at which girls are reaching puberty has been trending downward in recent decades, and much of the attention has focused on increased body weight as the primary culprit. While overweight and obesity alter the timing of girls' puberty, those factors don't explain all of the variance in pubertal timing. Early maturation in girls is linked with emotional and substance use problems and earlier sexual activity. These girls also face a higher risk for breast cancer and other reproductive cancers later in life.
Previous research has linked absent-father households and earlier puberty, but most of those studies relied upon recall of the girls' first periods, and few examined the contributions of body mass index, ethnicity and income. For this study, researchers in California, USA, recruited 444 girls, aged 6 to 8 at the start, and followed them annually for two years. They gathered extensive data on factors such as weight, height, stage of breast and pubic hair development, residents in the girls' homes, their relationships to the children and income. For the study, puberty for girls was defined as the onset of menstruation. Eighty percent of the girls said their fathers did not live with them. After two years of follow-up, the researchers saw earlier breast development in higher-income girls in absentee-dad homes across the board, and noted earlier pubic hair growth only in black girls from richer families. Having another male, such as a stepfather, in the home didn't change the findings. They also found that higher body-mass index (BMI), a calculation based on height and weight, was also linked with earlier puberty.
It is unclear why father absence predicted early puberty only in higher income families, particularly for African American girls. The researchers speculated on the reasons behind the connections - the absence of a biological father may signal an unstable family environment, leading girls to enter puberty earlier. Another possibility is that higher income girls in father-absent homes may be exposed to more artificial light - which has been shown to accelerate puberty in animal studies - through television, computers and other forms of technology. Other hypotheses include weak maternal bonding, assuming a single mother is working long hours, or contact with chemicals that may have estrogenic effects - perhaps hair straighteners in the case of black preteens.
The findings of this study suggest that there is no simple explanation to the earlier onset of puberty and that familial and contextual factors - independent of body mass index - have an important effect on girls' pubertal timing.
The age at which girls are reaching puberty has been trending downward in recent decades, and much of the attention has focused on increased body weight as the primary culprit. While overweight and obesity alter the timing of girls' puberty, those factors don't explain all of the variance in pubertal timing. Early maturation in girls is linked with emotional and substance use problems and earlier sexual activity. These girls also face a higher risk for breast cancer and other reproductive cancers later in life.
Previous research has linked absent-father households and earlier puberty, but most of those studies relied upon recall of the girls' first periods, and few examined the contributions of body mass index, ethnicity and income. For this study, researchers in California, USA, recruited 444 girls, aged 6 to 8 at the start, and followed them annually for two years. They gathered extensive data on factors such as weight, height, stage of breast and pubic hair development, residents in the girls' homes, their relationships to the children and income. For the study, puberty for girls was defined as the onset of menstruation. Eighty percent of the girls said their fathers did not live with them. After two years of follow-up, the researchers saw earlier breast development in higher-income girls in absentee-dad homes across the board, and noted earlier pubic hair growth only in black girls from richer families. Having another male, such as a stepfather, in the home didn't change the findings. They also found that higher body-mass index (BMI), a calculation based on height and weight, was also linked with earlier puberty.
It is unclear why father absence predicted early puberty only in higher income families, particularly for African American girls. The researchers speculated on the reasons behind the connections - the absence of a biological father may signal an unstable family environment, leading girls to enter puberty earlier. Another possibility is that higher income girls in father-absent homes may be exposed to more artificial light - which has been shown to accelerate puberty in animal studies - through television, computers and other forms of technology. Other hypotheses include weak maternal bonding, assuming a single mother is working long hours, or contact with chemicals that may have estrogenic effects - perhaps hair straighteners in the case of black preteens.
The findings of this study suggest that there is no simple explanation to the earlier onset of puberty and that familial and contextual factors - independent of body mass index - have an important effect on girls' pubertal timing.
COMMENT
DoctorNDTV is the one stop site for all your health needs providing the most credible health information, health news and tips with expert advice on healthy living, diet plans, informative videos etc. You can get the most relevant and accurate info you need about health problems like diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, weight loss and many other lifestyle diseases. We have a panel of over 350 experts who help us develop content by giving their valuable inputs and bringing to us the latest in the world of healthcare.
