Perceptions and Treatment of Precocious Puberty: A Questionnaire Survey among Caregivers in South Korea

Table 2

Parental perceptions of precocious puberty.

Questions	N	%
1. What symptoms of your child made you suspect precocious puberty? (for girls)
Development of a breast lump	83	79.8
Itching breast or occurrence of breast pain, in the event of a slight bump	19	18.3
Sebum secretion and occurrence of acne	14	13.5
Occurrence of hair and body odor	37	35.6
Pubic or underarm hair	12	11.5
Vaginal discharge	3	2.9
2. What symptoms of your child made you suspect precocious puberty? (for boys)
Testicle development	5	19.2
The penis gets longer, and the color of the penis changes	3	11.5
Sebum secretion and occurrence of acne	3	11.5
Occurrence of hair and body odor	19	73.1
Pubic or underarm hair	2	7.7
Uvula develops, and the voice starts to change	6	23.1
3. Major causes of precocious puberty
Westernized eating habits	90	53.6
Exposure to environmental hormones	102	60.7
Use of smart devices (Electromagnetic waves due to overuse of smartphones and TVs)	36	21.4
Obesity	55	32.7
Stress	13	7.7
4. Preference for information source
Television and other broadcasting media	106	60.6
Internet browsing	152	86.9
Books and magazines	33	18.9
Surrounding people	120	68.6
Medical institutions	80	45.7
5. Previous treatment experience
Yes	77	44
Traditional Korean medicine treatment	39	22.3
Conventional treatment	27	15.4
Both treatments	11	6.3
No	98	56
6. Preference for treatment
Traditional Korean medicine treatment	37	21.1
Conventional treatment	28	16
Habits management	108	61.7
No treatment required	2	1.1
7. Reasons for visiting medical institutions
Height (Short stature)	24	31.6
Early secondary sexual characteristics	36	47.4
Obesity	4	5.3
Abnormal findings at school health screening and infant health screening	1	1.3
8. Concerns about precocious puberty
Height (Short stature)	143	81.7
Early menarche	82	46.9
Academic performance	7	4.0
Adolescent emotional problems	56	32.0
9. Concerns about treatment
Potential side effects of treatment	107	61.1
High treatment costs	79	45.1
Doubts about treatment effectiveness	78	44.6
Potential for overtreatment	35	20.0
10. Eating habits perceived as affecting precocious puberty
Imbalanced diet	77	44.3
Overeating	85	48.9
Light eating	2	1.1
Irregular mealtimes	58	33.3
Frequent eating out	82	47.1
11. Comparison between food perceived as affecting precocious puberty and children’s actual habits
Eating foods perceived as affecting precocious puberty	76	43.4
Sugar content food (chocolate, candy, etc.)	20	26.3
Meats	15	19.7
Beans	2	2.6
Eggs (eggs, quail eggs, pollack roe, etc.)	5	6.6
Instant and fast foods	25	32.9
Greasy foods (deep-fried food, pancakes, etc.)	8	10.5
Not eating foods perceived as affecting precocious puberty	99	56.6
12. Comparison between exercise perceived as preventing precocious puberty and children’s actual habits
Perform the same types of exercise	131	74.9
Ball sports (such as basketball and football)	16	12.2
Martial arts (such as Taekwondo and Hapkido)	5	3.8
Dance (such as ballet and broadcasting dance)	7	5.3
Aerobic exercise (such as walking, running, and skipping rope)	90	68.7
Perform different types of exercises	38	21.7
13. Comparison between frequency of exercise perceived as preventing precocious puberty and children’s actual habits
Exercise less than perceived frequency	113	64.6
Exercise equal to perceived frequency	38	21.7
Exercise more than perceived frequency	20	12.4
14. Comparison between screen time on smart devices perceived as affecting precocious puberty and children’s actual habits
Usage less than perceived screen time	22	12.6
Usage equal to perceived screen time	79	45.1
Usage more than perceived screen time	72	41.1