CHANGES OF RATES AND TERMS OF PUBERTY IN URBAN SCHOOLCHILDREN EXAMINED IN 1982-1983 AND 2010-2012 YEARS
The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the indicators characterizing the development of secondary sex characteristics in urban school children surveyed in 1982-1983 and in 2010-2012 years. Earlier onset of puberty in modern urban boys has been established. This process is extended in time, so the boys surveyed 30 years ago reached definitive stages of development of sex characteristics significantly earlier. The frequency of menarche among modern urban girls from 12 to 15 years is significantly higher (p<0.001) compared with the same age, surveyed 30 years ago. The development of secondary sex characteristics in modern urban girls begins significantly later and ends significantly earlier compared with schoolgirls surveyed in the 80s of the last century, which reflects higher rates of sexual maturation of modern girls as opposed to boys.