Children who grow up in poor homes may enter puberty early and the health impacts can stay with them for life, according to new research.
Puberty marks a dramatic period of change for young people. Now new research shows children who grow up in poor homes enter puberty early.
Not only do they experience more emotional, behavioural and social problems compared to their peers, early puberty puts them at risk of a range of health issues for the rest of their lives.
The research, published today in the journal Paediatrics, adds to a body of work showing the cumulative effect of adversity in childhood can have lifelong physical, mental and behavioural repercussions.
However, the reason why these disadvantaged children enter puberty early remains unclear. And work is continuing to pinpoint factors that trigger the cascade of hormones that mark this critical period of development.
