INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVES OF MEDICINE SECTION: EPIDEMIOLOGY ISSN: 1755-7682 1 2015 Vol. 8 No. 234 doi: 10.3823/1833 iMedPub Journals http://journals.imed.pub © Under License of Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License This article is available at: www.intarchmed.com and www.medbrary.com Abstract Background: To describe and analyze growth curves of body mass index (BMI) and height according to sexual maturation status in chil- dren and adolescents aged 8-14 years old in the city of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in 2007 with a random sample of 2,339 students from public and private elementary school. Excess weight was determined by BMI curves of the World Health Organization according to sex and age. Sexual maturation was self- assessed and classified according to Tanner stages of sexual develo- pment. Tertiles of age in each sexual maturation stage were used to classify individuals in early, normal or late sexual maturation. Growth curves of BMI and height were estimated using median values for each sex, using six degree polynomial to smooth the curve. Results: We observed different growth curves of BMI and height according to sexual maturation status for both boys and girls. Early sexual maturation is associated with increased BMI z score to boys until 11 years of age and to girls in all groups age, and with increased height z score to boys in all age groups and in girls of 9-12.5 years of age. Late sexual maturation is associated with lower values of BMI Z score in boys between 10 to 12 years of age and slower evolution of BMI Z score in girls. Body Mass Index and Height Growth Curves are Influenced by Sexual Maturation Status in Brazil: Cross-Sectional Study ORIGINAL Fernando Adami 1, 3, 4, 6 , Jucemar Benedet 2 , Adair da Silva Lopes 2 , Maria Gabriela Matias de Pinho 5 , Francisco Winter dos Santos Figueiredo 4, 6 , Laércio da Silva Paiva 4, 6 , Luiz Carlos de Abreu 4,7 , Francisco de Assis Guedes de Vasconcelos 5 1 Bolsista do Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico – CNPq. 2 Departamento de Educação Física. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação Física – Centro de Desportos – Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis – SC, Brazil. 3 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense. Criciúma-SC, Brazil. 4 Departamento de Saúde da Coletividade. Laboratório de Epidemiologia e Análise de dados, Laboratório de Delineamento de Estudos e Escrita Científica, Faculdade de Medicina do ABC, Santo André – SP, Brazil. 5 Departamento de Nutrição. Programa de Pós-graduação em Nutrição do Centro de Ciências da Saúde – Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina – UFSC. Centro de Ciências da Saúde., Florianópolis – SC, Brazil. 6 Instituto Brasileiro de Ensino e Pesquisa – IBESPA. 7 Harvard T.H. CHAN School of Public Health. Department of Environmental Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115. Contact information: Fernando Adami. Address: Av., Príncipe de Gales, CEP 09060650, Santo André, São Paulo, Brasil. Tel: +55 (11) 96062-0133.  fernando.adami@fmabc.br