Accuracy of self-assessed Tanner staging against hormonal assessment of sexual maturation in overweight African-American children.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the accuracy of self-reported Tanner (SRT) staging against a proxy method of physician's assessment of sexual maturation, using pubertal hormones in overweight African-American (AA) children.


METHODS
Cross-sectional data from 196 children (113 girls, 83 boys) aged 9-11 years, who were 'overweight' (>85th and <95th percentile for age- and gender-matched BMI; n = 43) or 'obese' (>95th percentile; n = 153) were used. Children assessed their breast or genital and pubic hair development using standardized Tanner drawings representing different stages of sexual maturity. SRT data were compared to pubertal stage assessed by measuring fasting serum concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH) in boys, and LH and estradiol (E2) in girls, which were used to stage children into pubertal stages 1-5.


RESULTS
SRT stages of genital and pubic hair assessments in boys, and breast and pubic hair assessments in girls, yielded 15-20% concordance (kappa statistic = 0.02-0.12) compared to their hormone-derived pubertal stages.


CONCLUSIONS
Among overweight AA 9-11 year-old children, self-assessment of Tanner staging did not accurately assess their pubertal development when compared to a hormone-derived pubertal assessment method.
Raman
Aarthi
A
The Robert C and Veronica Atkins Center for Weight and Health, Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3104, USA.
Lustig
Robert H
RH
Fitch
Mark
M
Fleming
Sharon E
SE
D001741:Black or African American; D001828:Body Image; D001940:Breast / Q000254:growth & development; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005836:Genitalia, Female / Q000254:growth & development; D005837:Genitalia, Male / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D011627:Puberty / Q000097:blood; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012741:Sexual Maturation
D004958:Estradiol; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone