title: [Contribution of anthropometric characteristics to pubertal stage prediction in young male individuals].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the contribution of anthropometric variables to predict the maturational stage in young males.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study that enrolled 190 male subjects aged between eight and 18 years, randomly selected from public and private schools in Natal, Northeast Brazil. Thirty-two anthropometric variables were measured following the recommendations of the International Society for the Advancement of Kineanthropometry (ISAK). The assessment of sexual maturation was based on the observation of two experienced experts, who identified the pubertal development according to Tanner guidelines (1962).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The anthropometric variables showed a significant increase of their values during the advancement of pubertal development (p<0.05). The following variables showed the best value for prediction of maturational groups: sitting height, femoral biepicondylar diameter, forearm girth, triceps skinfold, tibiale laterale and acromiale-radiale bone lenghts. These variables were able to estimate the pubertal stages in 76.3% of the sujects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The anthropometric characteristics showed significant differences between the moments of maturational stages, being found, representatively, seven variables that best predict the stages of sexual maturation.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN, Brasil. Electronic address: radames_medeiros@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Radamés Maciel Vitor
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Medeiros
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN, Brasil.
authors.forename: Ricardo Fernando
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Arrais
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN, Brasil.
authors.forename: Jenner Chrystian Veríssimo
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: de Azevedo
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN, Brasil.
authors.forename: Jeferson Tafarel Pereira
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: do Rêgo
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN, Brasil.
authors.forename: Jason Azevedo
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: de Medeiros
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN, Brasil.
authors.forename: Ricardo Dias
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: de Andrade
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN, Brasil.
authors.forename: Paulo Moreira Silva
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Dantas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012741:Sexual Maturation
keywords: Anthropometry; Antropometria; Análise discriminante; Discriminant analysis; Maturidade sexual; Puberdade; Puberty; Sexual maturity