Okasha M, McCarron P, McEwen J, Smith G D
Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, UK.
Ann Hum Biol. 2001 Jan-Feb;28(1):68-78. doi: 10.1080/03014460150201896.
Age at menarche has been used as a marker of environmental conditions during childhood. Previous work has shown trends of decreasing age at menarche throughout the 19th century, but reported trends in the 20th century have been less consistent. The nature of the relationship between age at menarche and adult life anthropometric measures may be important in understanding the importance of this measure on disease in later life.
To establish whether mean age at menarche changed during the first half of the 20th century, and to determine the nature of associations between age at menarche and anthropometric measures in young adulthood.
3433 female students, who were born between 1919 and 1952 and who attended health checks at the student health service of the University of Glasgow between 1948 and 1968.
Mean age at menarche decreased from 13.2 years in the earliest born to 12.5 years in the latest born students. These results were not explained by changes in socio-demographic factors. Menarcheal age was positively associated with height and negatively associated with weight and BMI, results independent of socio-demographic and behavioural factors.
The falling age at menarche described here may be related to nutritional influences in the first half of the 20th century. The influence of menarche on BMI in early adulthood may have important health consequences.
月经初潮年龄一直被用作儿童时期环境状况的一个指标。先前的研究表明，在整个19世纪，月经初潮年龄呈下降趋势，但20世纪报道的趋势则不太一致。月经初潮年龄与成年后人体测量指标之间关系的本质，对于理解这一指标对晚年疾病的重要性可能具有重要意义。
确定20世纪上半叶月经初潮的平均年龄是否发生了变化，并确定月经初潮年龄与青年期人体测量指标之间关联的本质。
3433名女学生，她们出生于1919年至1952年之间，并于1948年至1968年期间在格拉斯哥大学学生健康服务中心接受健康检查。
月经初潮的平均年龄从最早出生的学生的13.2岁降至最晚出生的学生的12.5岁。社会人口统计学因素的变化无法解释这些结果。月经初潮年龄与身高呈正相关，与体重和体重指数呈负相关，这些结果不受社会人口统计学和行为因素的影响。
此处所描述的月经初潮年龄下降可能与20世纪上半叶的营养影响有关。月经初潮对成年早期体重指数的影响可能会产生重要的健康后果。
