Growth and socio‐economic status, influence on the age at menarche in school going girls

Abstract

Introduction Onset age at menarche has been considered an important indicator of reproductive maturity in females and reflects the health status of the population. The purpose of this study was to determine the mean menarcheal age and to examine whether anthropometric and socio‐economic status (SES) influences age at menarche in the girls from Punjab province of Pakistan. Methods In this population‐based cross‐sectional study, 10,050 school‐going girls aged 8–16 years from 35 schools across 12 districts of Punjab were recruited. Menarcheal data was obtained by using a questionnaire, while the anthropometric data were obtained by the measurements of standing height, body weight, waist, and hip circumference. The anthropometric indices of pre‐ and post‐menarcheal girls were compared. Student's t‐test, ANOVA, and post‐hoc Tukey's test was applied for comparison between two and multiple groups respectively, P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results There was a normal distribution of age at menarche and mean was 12.4 years in the study population. The girls who reached menarche were found to be taller and heavier with higher BMIs, having a greater waist and hip circumference as compared to their pre‐menarcheal peers. Waist‐hip‐ratio was less, and the waist‐to‐height ratio was higher in post‐menarcheal as compared to pre‐menarcheal girls. The girls belonging to low SES had delayed onset of menarche as compared to those belonging to middle/high SES. Conclusion The age at menarche was associated with SES and changes in various anthropometric measurements reflecting the growth status of girls.

Junk food consumption in relation to menstrual abnormalities among adolescent girls: A comparative cross sectional study

“…Most of the studies from various geographical areas of Pakistan showed the age of menarche stabilized at the age of 11 to 13 year. 13,14 However recent study showed that most of the girls hit menarche when they were between 13-15 years old which is almost consistent with earlier reports of another study. 15 The result suggested that the prevalence of premenstrual symptoms (98%) is the highest among all menstrual abnormalities, which is supported by the results of another study.…”

Informational and instrumental support related to menstruation: adolescents’ perspective

“…Girls who reached menarche were found to be taller and heavier with a higher body mass index (BMI), and have a larger waist and hip circumferences compared to their pre-menarche counterparts. Girls with low socio-economic status (SES) experience delayed onset of menarche compared to those with medium/high SES [16]. In developed countries, the median age for menarche remains relatively stable-between 12 years and 13 years-across well-nourished populations.…”

An integrated analysis of mRNAs and lncRNAs in goat's hypothalamus to explore the onset of puberty

“…Among the growth traits studied, the female who reached puberty were found to be heavier and taller, having a greater waist and hip circumference as compared to their prepuberty (Karim et al, 2021).…”

“…Some evidence has suggested that obesity may delay the onset of puberty in boys, and accelerate the onset of puberty in girls (Soliman et al, 2014). Among the growth traits studied, the female who reached puberty were found to be heavier and taller, having a greater waist and hip circumference as compared to their prepuberty (Karim et al, 2021). Furthermore, weaning weight and weight of Bos indicus at puberty had significant positive effects on the manifestation of puberty (Monteiro et al, 2013).…”