Disentangling associations between pubertal development, healthy activity behaviors, and sex in adolescent social networks.

ABSTRACT: With the onset of puberty, youth begin to choose their social environments and develop health-promoting habits, making it a vital period to study social and biological factors contextually. An important question is how pubertal development and behaviors such as physical activity and sleep may be differentially linked with youths' friendships. Cross-sectional statistical network models that account for interpersonal dependence were used to estimate associations between three measures of pubertal development and youth friendships at two large US schools drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Whole-network models suggest that friendships are more likely between youth with similar levels of pubertal development, physical activity, and sleep. Sex-stratified mo

SUBMITTER: Pachucki MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11098364 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature