Growth Assessment
Praveen S. Goday, Cassandra L. S. Walia in Pediatric Nutrition for Dietitians, 2022
Puberty refers to the physical changes that occur during adolescence, including growth in stature and development of secondary sexual characteristics. The latter occurs in a series of events that also follows a predictable pattern, with some individual variation in sequence and timing of onset (between 8 and 13 years in girls and 9.5 and 14 years in boys). Sexual maturation can happen gradually or with several changes at once. Tanner staging is a sexual maturity rating system used to define physical measures of sexual development, including breast changes in females, genital changes in males, and pubic hair changes in both females and males. Tanner staging is commonly used to define the pre- or peri-pubertal stage of a child at a single point in time (Appendix B). In boys, the first change is testicular development followed by penile growth and pubic hair development. In girls, the first change is breast development followed by the appearance of pubic hair which is then followed by menarche.
Emotional Wellness and Stress Resilience
Michelle Tollefson, Nancy Eriksen, Neha Pathak in Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan, 2021
Emotional wellness is “an awareness, understanding, and acceptance of our feelings, and our ability to manage effectively through challenges and change.”1 Challenges and change are inevitable in our daily lives and the lives of our patients, which can result in stress. For women, stress also becomes more pronounced during periods of significant transitions during the lifespan, such as puberty, childbirth, and menopause.2,3,4 Prolonged stress can precipitate or exacerbate both medical and psychiatric illnesses.5,6 Stress is the most time-consuming topic that primary care physicians discuss with their patients who have chronic illness.7 In fact, it is estimated that 60–90% of primary care physician visits involve stress-related complaints or an illness augmented by stress.8,9 Therefore, to achieve optimal health and wellness, effective counselling of patients on effective stress management techniques appears an important skill to develop.
Development of fundamental movement skills
Andrea Utley in Motor Control, Learning and Development, 2018
During this period, great physical change takes place, with the young adult growing in size and increasing in strength. It must be remembered that there is great variation in the onset of puberty, which can be as young as nine years in some girls and as late as 15 years in some boys. When teaching and coaching young adults at this stage of their development, care has to be taken as their growth, strength and skill level often progress at different stages. In terms of skill development, it is during this stage that the coach or teacher can start to focus on tactics and more advanced skills, as the young adult is able to cope at a higher level. Their understanding of movement will have increased, and they will be more aware of the influence of the environment and task constraints on their movement.
The Unpopular Victims: Individuals Who Are Sexually Abusive – The Black Swans
Published in Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 2023
A landmark in codified U.S. law was establishment of a juvenile court system in the late 1800s recognizing youth were not mini-adults, but rather young developing humans. The establishment of the field of pediatric endocrinology in the twentieth century was seminal in producing research related to children’s sexual development. In the twenty-first century, human longevity is extended by decades, living past 100 and puberty commencing at significantly younger ages. Puberty is a demarcation, end of childhood, a phase in human development where significant physiological and psychological changes occur to achieve adult sexual maturation and potential for fertility. Regulation of puberty involves factors such as genetic makeup, inheritable characteristics, including nutritional status, environmental and socioeconomic factors.
Deep phenotyping of pubertal development in Norwegian children: the Bergen Growth Study 2
Published in Annals of Human Biology, 2023
Petur B. Juliusson, Ingvild S. Bruserud, Ninnie Helen Bakken Oehme, Andre Madsen, Ingvild H. Forthun, Melissa Balthasar, Karen Rosendahl, Kristin Viste, Astanand Jugessur, Lawrence M. Schell, Robert Bjerknes, Mathieu Roelants
Puberty is a period of dramatic somatic changes that leads to adult reproductive function. Alterations in the timing of puberty have been associated with a wide range of adverse health outcomes, placing a significant personal and economic burden on families and society (Day et al. 2015; Golub et al. 2008). In girls, for example, early pubertal timing is associated with an earlier sexual debut, a higher risk for sexual abuse and psychosocial maladjustment, and an increased lifetime susceptibility to reproductive cancers (Golub et al., 2008; Michaud et al., 2006). In boys, several studies have reported an association between early puberty and testicular cancer, whereas late pubertal onset has been associated with reduced semen quality (Jensen et al., 2016). Both early and late puberty in boys have been linked to psychosocial difficulties (Golub et al., 2008; Michaud et al., 2006). Furthermore, early puberty in both sexes has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in adulthood (Golub et al., 2008; Day et al., 2015).
Imparting genital hygiene skills to adolescents with intellectual disabilities attending a special education Centre: a quasi-experimental study on effect of short education
Published in International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 2022
With the onset of adolescence, genital pubescence begins. Although there are cultural differences, the removal of hair may have a protective effect against diseases (Bilgiç et al. 2019). Different methods can be used. In this study, the participants were determined to mostly use a razor blade before the training in their genital cleaning (42.3%), whereas they were found to use wax (50.0%) after the training. Also, the frequency of unwanted hair removal was determined to become monthly after the training and the difference was found to be statistically significant (p < .05). In studies with non-disabled individuals, similar cleaning methods were observed to be used (Bilgiç et al. 2019). In this study with adolescents with intellectual disabilities, teenagers were found to have difficulties in performing complex tasks such as bathing and removing unwanted body hair (Surekha et al. 2017). The study reported that mothers helped remove the hair in the genital area, but that adolescent reminded their parents to do it once a month.