Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 May 2:43:e2024159.
doi: 10.1590/1984-0462/2025/43/2024159. eCollection 2025.

Secular trend in height and associated factors among adolescents in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, between 2007 and 2017/2018

Clair Costa Miranda  1 , Jean Carlos Parmigiani De Marco  1 , André de Araújo Pinto  2 , Andreia Pelegrini  1
Affiliations

Secular trend in height and associated factors among adolescents in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, between 2007 and 2017/2018

Clair Costa Miranda et al. Rev Paul Pediatr. .

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

Objective: To assess the secular trend in height among adolescents in Florianópolis between 2007 and 2017/2018, and identify factors associated with height by sex.

Methods: The sample included 664 adolescents from public schools in 2007 and 1,008 in 2017/2018. Height was the dependent variable, with age, economic status, sexual maturity, physical activity, body fat (skinfold thickness), and fat-free mass as independent variables. Analysis of covariance evaluated the secular trend, and multiple linear regression identified associated factors.

Results: There was a positive secular trend in height in both sexes when comparing the two surveys, with average increases of 3.5 cm in both sexes. Fat-free mass was a positive predictor and body fat was a negative predictor of height in both sexes. Additionally, physical activity emerged as a negative predictor of height specifically in boys.

Conclusions: The research revealed a positive secular trend in the height of adolescents in Florianópolis. Fat-free mass contributes positively to gains in height, whereas body fat provides a negative contribution.

Objetivo: Avaliar a tendência secular da estatura entre adolescentes de Florianópolis entre 2007 e 2017/2018 e identificar fatores associados à estatura de acordo com o sexo.

Métodos: A amostra incluiu 664 adolescentes de escolas públicas em 2007 e 1.008 em 2017/2018. A estatura foi a variável dependente, sendo idade, nível econômico, maturação sexual, atividade física, gordura corporal (dobras cutâneas) e massa livre de gordura as variáveis independentes. A análise de covariância avaliou a tendência secular e a regressão linear múltipla identificou fatores associados.

Resultados: Observou-se tendência secular positiva na estatura em ambos os sexos na comparação dos dois inquéritos, com incrementos médios de 3,5 cm em ambos os dados. A massa livre de gordura foi um preditor positivo, enquanto a gordura corporal foi um preditor negativo da altura em ambos os sexos. Além disso, a atividade física surgiu como preditor negativo da altura especificamente nos meninos.

Conclusões: A pesquisa revelou tendência secular positiva na altura de adolescentes de Florianópolis. A massa livre de gordura contribui positivamente para o ganho de estatura, enquanto a gordura corporal contribui negativamente.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interests: The authors declare that is no conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Differences in median height throughout adolescence according to the survey, by age, in boys.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Differences in median height throughout adolescence according to the survey, by age, in girls.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Tanner JM. Growth as a measure of the nutritional and hygienic status of a population. Horm Res. 1992;38(Suppl 1):106–115. doi: 10.1159/000182580. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zong XN, Li H. Growth and development of children in China: achievements, problems and prospects. World J Pediatr. 2024;20:97–104. doi: 10.1007/s12519-023-00759-x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fudvoye J, Parent AS. Secular trends in growth. Ann Endocrinol (Paris) 2017;78:88–91. doi: 10.1016/j.ando.2017.04.003. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Conde WL, Rinaldi AE, Enes CC. Is the secular trend in height delaying overweight rise among adolescents? The Brazilian case. Public Health Nutr. 2016;19:2213–2219. doi: 10.1017/s1368980016000203. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization [homepage on the Internet] WHO child growth standards: length/height-for-age, weight-for-age, weight-for-length, weight-for-height and body mass index-for-age: methods and development. [citaed 2024 Jun 25]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/924154693X .

LinkOut - more resources