Patterns of physical performance spurts during adolescence: a cross-cultural study of Canadian, Brazilian and Portuguese boys.

Data relating physical performance to the timing of the adolescent growth spurt are limited. This study identifies: (i) age-at-peak height velocity (APHV), (ii) physical performance spurt patterns aligned to APHV; and (iii) cross-cultural and time patterns in Canadian, Brazilian and Portuguese boys. A total of 512 boys (131 Canadian, 250 Portuguese and 131 Brazilian), 8-17 years of age were followed serially using longitudinal data.

Tracking of aerobic fitness from adolescence to mid-adulthood.

Background: Although adults' aerobic fitness is known to be correlated with cardiovascular disease risk, the longitudinal relationship with adolescent aerobic fitness is poorly described.

Aim: To longitudinally investigate the relationship between aerobic fitness during adolescence and adulthood.

Subjects And Methods: Participants (207 boys, 149 girls) aged 7-17 years performed annual measures of VO2peak.

Bone mineral accrual from 8 to 30 years of age: an estimation of peak bone mass.

Bone area (BA) and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured from childhood to young adulthood at the total body (TB), lumbar spine (LS), total hip (TH), and femoral neck (FN). BA and BMC values were expressed as a percentage of young-adult values to determine if and when values reached a plateau. Data were aligned on biological ages [years from peak height velocity (PHV)] to control for maturity.

Effect of maturational timing on bone mineral content accrual from childhood to adulthood: evidence from 15 years of longitudinal data.

A higher bone mass may reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. The role of maturational timing for optimizing bone mass is controversial due to the lack of prospective evidence from childhood to adulthood. The purpose of this study was to examine the long term relationship between the onset of maturation and bone mineral content (BMC) development.

International longitudinal pediatric reference standards for bone mineral content.

To render a diagnosis pediatricians rely upon reference standards for bone mineral density or bone mineral content, which are based on cross-sectional data from a relatively small sample of children. These standards are unable to adequately represent growth in a diverse pediatric population. Thus, the goal of this study was to develop sex and site-specific standards for BMC using longitudinal data collected from four international sites in Canada and the United States.