Early puberty linked to poverty in Melbourne-based children's survey

Children who grow up poor are much more likely to hit puberty earlier than more well-off kids, Melbourne-based research has suggested. Their report said the link between underprivileged children and early puberty could be attributed to a range of environmental factors. The research found: 12 per cent of children from middle to upper-class backgrounds entered puberty early of children from middle to upper-class backgrounds entered puberty early 40 per cent of children from lower-class backgrounds entered puberty early of children from lower-class backgrounds entered puberty early 12 per cent of girls from middle to upper-class backgrounds entered puberty early of girls from middle to upper-class backgrounds entered puberty early 28 per cent of girls from lower-class backgrounds entered puberty earlier One of the report's senior authors, George Patten, said the correlation could be a result of children being programmed to start the reproductive process earlier, to ensure their genes are passed on to the next generation. "Early maturation has links in girls with emotional, behavioural and social problems during adolescence including depressive disorders, substance disorders, eating disorders and precocious sexuality," Dr Patten said. Dr Patten said the recent trend towards early puberty in many countries meant a clearer understanding of the factors involved was needed.