Physical stress may result in growth suppression and pubertal delay in working boys

Child labour is an immense problem in Pakistan. As labour boys are put under persistent/severe physical stress, we hypothesised, that it may result in higher levels of cortisol and exhaust glycogen, fats and protein. Depletion of fats may result in lower body weight, and insufficient leptin concentrations could excite gonadotropic releasing hormone (GnRH) at normal time of puberty in working boys. Moreover, lower testosterone levels in working boys, due to delayed puberty, may result in suppression of somatotropic axis. Short/weak stature and failure of onset of puberty may cause poor performance, inferiority complex and psychological disorders. Therefore, the present study is designed to find out the timing of onset of puberty in working boys. The study will include 10–18 years of working boys as case and non-working boys of the same age group as control. Working boys will be labour boys, while the control group will not be involved in physical work. A questionnaire will be used to record socioeconomic status, major diseases, nutritional status, type and duration of work and family history of puberty, growth and obesity of subjects. Boys with familial history of pubertal delay, obesity, malnutrition, mental disorders, haematological diseases and severe/chronic diseases will be excluded. The intensity of physical working stress will be determined by a grading scale. The anthropometric data including height, weight, body mass index (BMI), bone age and tests of adiposity will be collected from subjects. The stages of pubertal onset will be determined by Tanner staging. Serum concentrations of hormones of growth, thyroid, adrenal, brain–gut and gonadal axis will be determined in non-working and working boys. Physical and hormonal tests of the working boys and the comparison with non-working boys are sufficient to test the idea.