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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Carol Rubin, DVM, MPH¹, Stephanie Kieszak, MA¹, Adrianne Holmes, MPH¹, Michelle Marcus, PhD¹, Jon Heron, PhD², Michael McGeehin, PhD¹, and Jean Golding, PhD³. (1) National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy, MS F-46, Atlanta, GA 30341, 770-488-3406, crubin@cdc.gov, (2) University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Ave, Bristol BS8 1TQ, NA, England, (3) Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, NA, United Kingdom

Background: In 1990 the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) began collecting questionnaire information from 14000 parents and newborns in Bristol, England. In 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started collaborating with ALSPAC to evaluate physical maturation within this cohort. Methods: To date, Tanner stage information has been collected annually from 6000 boys and girls aged eight to 11 years. Data have been analyzed to determine the proportion of boys at each Tanner stage of genital development and pubic hair development, and girls at each Tanner stage of breast development and pubic hair development. We compared these results to the same measures reported in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted 1988-1994 in the United States. All analyses used SAS 9.1. Results: ALSPAC boys manifested earlier genital development than NHANES boys. At age 8 years, 71% of ALSPAC boys were at least Tanner Stage 2 (out of 5 stages) for genital development, compared to 31% of NHANES boys; entrance into Tanner Stage 2 defines the beginning of maturation. By age 11 years, 59% of ALSPAC boys were at least stage 3, while only 26% of NHANES boys were stage 3 or above. Maturation differences were not observed between ALSPAC and NHANES girls, or for boy's pubic hair staging. Conclusion: Accelerated genital maturation is a hypothesized effect of exposure to environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals. Our results reinforce the importance of monitoring maturation trends and conducting studies to identify environmental exposures that may impact defined populations.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe how Tanner Staging is used to measure physical maturation in boys and girls.
• Compare differences in the timing of maturation between US and British children.
• Discuss the impact of environmental chemicals on the timing of physical maturation.

Keywords: Endocrine, Environmental Exposures

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered