The impact of the Wenchuan earthquake on early puberty: a natural experiment.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The factors influencing pubertal timing have gained much attention due to a secular trend toward earlier pubertal onset in many countries. However, no studies have investigated the association between the Great earthquake and early puberty. We aimed to assess whether the Wenchuan earthquake is associated with early puberty, in both boys and girls.

Methods

We used data from two circles of a survey on reproductive health in China to explore the impact of the Wenchuan earthquake on early puberty , and a total of 9,785 adolescents (4,830 boys, 49.36%) aged 12-20 years from 29 schools in eight provinces were recruited. Wenchuan earthquake exposure was defined as those Sichuan students who had not experienced oigarche/menarche before May 12, 2008. Early puberty was iden

SUBMITTER: Lian Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6027660 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature