Research Method

Research Method

Obesity and Early Sexual Maturation in Girls
Erlyne Miller
Psychology 350
Professor Alina Perez-Sheppe, MA
March 1st, 2010

Abstract
Does obesity cause early sexual maturation or is it the opposite does early sexual maturation cause obesity in girls. Studies that have been conducted found that there is a link between obesity and early sexual maturation. However, the topic is not clear as to whether obesity is the cause of early sexual maturation or if it is the opposite. There has been a link found that ethnicity plays a role in obesity and early sexual maturation among African-girls, white girls, Hispanic girls, and Asian girls(Adair PhD & Gordon-Larson Phd, 2001).

Introduction
Is there a link between obesity and early sexual maturation in young girls? Does a young girl’s ethnicity affect if they will sexually mature earlier and be predisposed to being obese? These are questions that this author set out to answer in this paper. In an article entitled, Earlier Onset of Puberty in Girls: Relation to Increased Body Mass Index and Race, there is documented correlation between obesity and the onset of early sexual maturation. However, in this article there is also a third factor that is taken into account and is thought more to mainly affect girls if African American decent (Kaplowitz, MD, PhD, Slora, PhD, Wasserman, MD, MPH, Pedlow, BS, & Herman-Giddens, PA, DrPH, 2001). I will discuss this article in further detail later in this paper. The second article that caught my attention as it related to this topic is Maturational Timing and Overweight Prevalence in US Adolescent Girls. In this article four ethnic groups were studied: Non-Hispanic whites, Non-Hispanic Blacks, persons of Hispanic descent, and Asian Americans. The study that this article is base on also found a correlation between a girl’s weight and early sexual maturation. (Adair PhD & Gordon-Larson Phd, 2001) This study also found that the ethnicity of a girl correlated with...

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