Timing of pubertal onset in girls: evidence for non-Gaussian distribution.

Context: The timing of the onset of puberty is considered to approximate a normal distribution. However, because many more girls present with early than late puberty, we hypothesized that the distribution of the timing of the onset of puberty in girls might have changed. OBJECTIVE/SUBJECTS: The objective of the study was to examine the distribution of the timing of the onset of puberty in normal Greek girls.

Greek young men grow taller.

Aim: To examine whether a secular trend for greater height is still observed in young Greek men.

Method: Height and weight of 3982 Greek conscripts, aged 18-26 years, were measured and correlated with the level of education and place of residence. Our data were collected from May 2006 to May 2007 from pre-selected army camps all over Greece.

Age at menarche in contemporary Greek girls: evidence for levelling-off of the secular trend.

Aim: To examine the secular trend of menarcheal age in Greek girls during the last decade.

Methods: Seven hundred and fifty senior high schoolgirls were asked through a questionnaire to report their date of menarche, participation in physical activities and their weight status at menarche. The data were compared with those of a study of 1996.