The North Carolina study differed from ours in assessing gestational exposures and used self-reported
Tanner staging, whereas we focused on prepubertal exposures and used physician-assessed staging including gonadal palpation and comparison with an orchidometer, more precise measures of gonadal development (Euling et al.
Tanner staging was performed via self-assessment of consenting CALIPER study participants ages 9-15 years.
22) These investigators observed a reduction of sagittal laxity as age increased and suggested further investigations were advisable, to include
Tanner staging in order to understand the extent to which increases in maturity influence alterations in laxity.
The physician must first determine whether the student is physically up to the task and then test the student's readiness through a tool known as the
Tanner Staging System, which evaluates secondary sexual characteristics and physical maturity.
Beware of applying Tanner staging criteria intuitively As ubiquitous as Tanner staging is in textbooks, it's not an easy thing to do.
Nor is Tanner staging necessarily appropriate for all female populations.
A physician conducted a medical examination on all subjects in order to evaluate musculoskeletal status, document preexisting orthopedic injuries and assess maturity status based on Tanner staging of pubic hair development (Tanner, 1962).
Tanner staging for maturity level revealed that the experimental group consisted of 13 subjects at Tanner stage 1 and 2 subjects at Tanner stage 2, while the control group had 8 subjects at Tanner stage 1 and I subject at Tanner stage 9.
Tanner staging for pubic hair and breast development classifies girls into progressive stages, ranging from stage 1 (no pubertal development) to stage 5 (fully mature).
Together, these data suggest that future studies should include an in-depth examination of mammary tissue growth and fat deposition in a girl's breast, not
Tanner staging alone.
All subjects had a complete physical examination including measurements for height, weight, head circumference, and pubertal assessment by
Tanner staging.
Only girls 8 years or older were eligible for
Tanner staging of pubic hair and breast development (National Center for Health Statistics 1998).
