Sexual maturation of Mexican‐American adolescents

The Sexual maturation patterns of 1,403 Mexican‐American adolescents are described. The report is based on data from the Hispanic Health and Examination Survey (HHANES), which was carried out by the National Center for Health Statistics from 1982 to 1984. Ages of subjects ranged from 10 through 17 years. The development of secondary sexual characteristics was measured by means of a five‐stage scale for specific traits (males: Pubic hair and genitalia; females: Pubic hair and breasts) following methods proposed by Tanner. Mean ages for “being in a stage” or the average age of the children classified as belonging to each particular stage were estimated. The Spearman‐Kärber procedure was used to estimate median ages at “entry” into the various stages. Comparison of median ages at entry to results from studies around the world reveals that Mexican‐Americans begin and end puberty a few months later than is usual.