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dc.contributor.authorForwood, MR
dc.contributor.authorBalley, DA
dc.contributor.authorBeck, TJ
dc.contributor.authorMirwald, RL
dc.contributor.authorBaxter-Jones, ADG
dc.contributor.authorUusi-Rasi, K
dc.date.accessioned2017-05-03T15:39:13Z
dc.date.available2017-05-03T15:39:13Z
dc.date.issued2004
dc.date.modified2010-07-20T04:54:39Z
dc.identifier.issn8756-3282
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.bone.2004.06.005
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10072/32432
dc.description.abstractBefore puberty, there are only small sex differences in body shape and composition. During adolescence, sexual dimorphism in bone, lean, and fat mass increases, giving rise to the greater size and strength of the male skeleton. The question remains as to whether there are sex differences in bone strength or simply differences in anthropometric dimensions. To test this, we applied hip structural analysis (HSA) to derive strength and geometric indices of the femoral neck using bone densitometry scans (DXA) from a 6-year longitudinal study in Canadian children. Seventy boys and sixty-eight girls were assessed annually for 6 consecutive years. At the femoral neck, cross-sectional area (CSA, an index of axial strength), subperiosteal width (SPW), and section modulus (Z, an index of bending strength) were determined, and data were analyzed using a hierarchical (random effects) modeling approach. Biological age (BA) was defined as years from age at peak height velocity (PHV). When BA, stature, and total-body lean mass (TB lean) were controlled, boys had significantly higher Z than girls at all maturity levels (P < 0.05). Controlling height and TB lean for CSA demonstrated a significant independent sex by BA interaction effect (P < 0.05). That is, CSA was greater in boys before PHV but higher in girls after PHV. The coefficients contributing the greatest proportion to the prediction of CSA, SPW, and Z were height and lean mass. Because the significant sex difference in Z was relatively small and close to the error of measurement, we questioned its biological significance. The sex difference in bending strength was therefore explained by anthropometric differences. In contrast to recent hypotheses, we conclude that the CSA-lean ratio does not imply altered mechanosensitivity in girls because bending dominates loading at the neck, and the Z -lean ratio remained similar between the sexes throughout adolescence. That is, despite the greater CSA in girls, the bone is strategically placed to resist bending; hence, the bones of girls and boys adapt to mechanical challenges in a similar way.
dc.description.peerreviewedYes
dc.description.publicationstatusYes
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.publisher.placeNew York, NY
dc.relation.ispartofpagefrom973
dc.relation.ispartofpageto981
dc.relation.ispartofissue4
dc.relation.ispartofjournalBone
dc.relation.ispartofvolume35
dc.subject.fieldofresearchBiological sciences
dc.subject.fieldofresearchEngineering
dc.subject.fieldofresearchBiomedical and clinical sciences
dc.subject.fieldofresearchClinical sciences not elsewhere classified
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode31
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode40
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode32
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode320299
dc.titleSexual dimorphism of the femoral neck during the adolescent growth spurt: a structural analysis
dc.typeJournal article
dc.type.descriptionC1 - Articles
dc.type.codeC - Journal Articles
gro.date.issued2004
gro.hasfulltextNo Full Text
gro.griffith.authorForwood, Mark R.


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