Age at spermarche: 15-year trend and its association with body mass index in Chinese school-aged boys

Y. Song; J. Ma; H. J. Wang; Z. Wang; P. W. C. Lau; A. Agardh

doi:10.1111/ijpo.12073

Age at spermarche: 15-year trend and its association with body mass index in Chinese school-aged boys

Y. Song, J. Ma^*, H. J. Wang^*, Z. Wang, P. W. C. Lau, A. Agardh

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Little is known about the secular trends in age at spermarche among boys, and the association between body mass index (BMI) and male puberty is controversial.

Objective: This study aimed to estimate the trend in age at spermarche in China and explore the association of spermarche with BMI.

Methods: We used four cross-sectional Chinese National Surveys on Students' Constitution and Health (CNSSCH; 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010). Median age at spermarche was determined using probit analysis. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of spermarche with BMI.

Results: Age at spermarche among Chinese boys dropped from 14.57 to 14.03 years from 1995 to 2010 with a decrease of 4.3 months per decade. Boys with BMI-for-age z-score lower than −2 had the latest age at spermarche. A higher BMI or BMI-for-age z-score was associated with an increased likelihood of having reached spermarche, and this association was consistently observed at all survey points.

Conclusion: This study provides important evidence of a secular trend of earlier age at spermarche over the past 15 years in China, and this decrease was accompanied by a simultaneous increase in BMI. Strategies and interventions focusing on thinness may promote both their nutritional status and puberty development among Chinese boys.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	369-374
Number of pages	6
Journal	Pediatric obesity
Volume	11
Issue number	5
Early online date	25 Sept 2015
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/ijpo.12073
Publication status	Published - Oct 2016

Scopus Subject Areas

Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
Health Policy
Nutrition and Dietetics
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

User-Defined Keywords

body mass index
puberty
spermarche

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1111/ijpo.12073

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title = "Age at spermarche: 15-year trend and its association with body mass index in Chinese school-aged boys",

abstract = "Background: Little is known about the secular trends in age at spermarche among boys, and the association between body mass index (BMI) and male puberty is controversial.Objective: This study aimed to estimate the trend in age at spermarche in China and explore the association of spermarche with BMI.Methods: We used four cross-sectional Chinese National Surveys on Students' Constitution and Health (CNSSCH; 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010). Median age at spermarche was determined using probit analysis. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of spermarche with BMI.Results: Age at spermarche among Chinese boys dropped from 14.57 to 14.03 years from 1995 to 2010 with a decrease of 4.3 months per decade. Boys with BMI-for-age z-score lower than −2 had the latest age at spermarche. A higher BMI or BMI-for-age z-score was associated with an increased likelihood of having reached spermarche, and this association was consistently observed at all survey points.Conclusion: This study provides important evidence of a secular trend of earlier age at spermarche over the past 15 years in China, and this decrease was accompanied by a simultaneous increase in BMI. Strategies and interventions focusing on thinness may promote both their nutritional status and puberty development among Chinese boys.",

keywords = "body mass index, puberty, spermarche",

author = "Y. Song and J. Ma and Wang, {H. J.} and Z. Wang and Lau, {P. W. C.} and A. Agardh",

note = "Funding information: National Natural Science Foundation of China. Grant Number: 81302442 Ministry of Health. Grant Number: 201202010 Publisher copyright: {\textcopyright} 2015 World Obesity",

year = "2016",

month = oct,

doi = "10.1111/ijpo.12073",

language = "English",

volume = "11",

pages = "369--374",

journal = "Pediatric obesity",

issn = "2047-6302",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell for the International Association for the Study of Obesity",

number = "5",

}

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T2 - 15-year trend and its association with body mass index in Chinese school-aged boys

AU - Song, Y.

AU - Ma, J.

AU - Wang, H. J.

AU - Wang, Z.

AU - Lau, P. W. C.

AU - Agardh, A.

PY - 2016/10

Y1 - 2016/10

N2 - Background: Little is known about the secular trends in age at spermarche among boys, and the association between body mass index (BMI) and male puberty is controversial.Objective: This study aimed to estimate the trend in age at spermarche in China and explore the association of spermarche with BMI.Methods: We used four cross-sectional Chinese National Surveys on Students' Constitution and Health (CNSSCH; 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010). Median age at spermarche was determined using probit analysis. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of spermarche with BMI.Results: Age at spermarche among Chinese boys dropped from 14.57 to 14.03 years from 1995 to 2010 with a decrease of 4.3 months per decade. Boys with BMI-for-age z-score lower than −2 had the latest age at spermarche. A higher BMI or BMI-for-age z-score was associated with an increased likelihood of having reached spermarche, and this association was consistently observed at all survey points.Conclusion: This study provides important evidence of a secular trend of earlier age at spermarche over the past 15 years in China, and this decrease was accompanied by a simultaneous increase in BMI. Strategies and interventions focusing on thinness may promote both their nutritional status and puberty development among Chinese boys.

AB - Background: Little is known about the secular trends in age at spermarche among boys, and the association between body mass index (BMI) and male puberty is controversial.Objective: This study aimed to estimate the trend in age at spermarche in China and explore the association of spermarche with BMI.Methods: We used four cross-sectional Chinese National Surveys on Students' Constitution and Health (CNSSCH; 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010). Median age at spermarche was determined using probit analysis. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of spermarche with BMI.Results: Age at spermarche among Chinese boys dropped from 14.57 to 14.03 years from 1995 to 2010 with a decrease of 4.3 months per decade. Boys with BMI-for-age z-score lower than −2 had the latest age at spermarche. A higher BMI or BMI-for-age z-score was associated with an increased likelihood of having reached spermarche, and this association was consistently observed at all survey points.Conclusion: This study provides important evidence of a secular trend of earlier age at spermarche over the past 15 years in China, and this decrease was accompanied by a simultaneous increase in BMI. Strategies and interventions focusing on thinness may promote both their nutritional status and puberty development among Chinese boys.

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Age at spermarche: 15-year trend and its association with body mass index in Chinese school-aged boys

Abstract

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