Growth and pubertal milestones during adolescence in offspring prenatally exposed to cigarettes and marihuana

Weight, height, head circumference, and pubertal milestones were examined in one hundred fifty-two 13- to 16-year-old adolescents for whom prenatal exposure to marihuana and cigarettes had been ascertained. The subjects were from a low-risk, predominantly middle-class sample participating in an ongoing, longitudinal study and whose growth has been monitored since birth. The weight of the 13- to 16-year-old children of heavy cigarette smokers, after statistical adjustment, did not differ from control subjects but they had a significantly higher Ponderal Index (PI). These observations continued those noted when these subjects were 9 to 12 years of age. Among the male offspring of cigarette smokers, pubertal milestones occurred at an earlier age than among male adolescents born to nonsmokers. Active smoking by the offspring did not moderate these findings. Maternal marihuana use was not associated with any growth measurement or the timing of pubertal milestones. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.