A study on Growth in Puberty - a Longitudinal Study -

Purpose : The purpose of this study is to make a research of the patterns of annual increments of growth and the periods of maturity, and to study the relationships existing between the different growths : growth in height and weight, menarche, development of mammary organ, and growth of armpit hair. Method : A longitudinal method of study through ten years (1943-1952) was applied. Measurements were taken from school records. Each person was interviewed individually and asked of her first menstral period, and observations of the development of the breast and armpit hair were made. Subject : 78 girls (Birth : April 1936-March 1937) Result : To the scores obstained F-test, t-test and x²-test were conducted, which resulted in the following eight conclusions : 1. The poor food condition during the war has resulted greatly in growth of height. 2. Three patterns of annual increments of growth in height and weight can be made. This indicates a definite tendency in their distribution and maximum growth period. 3. There is high relationship between the growth in height and in weight. The growth in height is about one year earlier than of weight in the average. It is not always true that the period of repletion comes after a period of elongation as C.H. Stratz's theory. Among girls studied, the two periods came parallel in one third of the cases. 4. The growth in height goes down suddenly after menarche. 5. As a whole the growth in height during adolescent stage is much more significant than the other growths. When compared, there was found to be little relationship between the growth in weight and menarche, and the other growths, a most unexpected result. 6. The relationship between the development of the breasts and menarche was found to have no significance. This is also an unexpected result. 7. The growth in armpit hair seemed to have a more significant relationship with the other growths (except the growth in weight.