[Relationship between the tempo of maturation and the body/height proportions in adulthood].

The aim of the study was to determine relationship between the tempo of maturation and stature, body weight and body mass index (BMI) in young adulthood. The study comprised 2660 girls, aged 15 to 18 years. The weakness correlation was found between menarcheal age and body height. Analysis of a relationship between those variables shows that girls who matured later were the tallest, and those maturing earlier were the shortest, however, the differences were not statistically significant. With regard to body weight, a clear regularity could be noticed; viz. girls in whom the first menstruation occurred in the earliest were the heaviest, whereas the lowest body weight was a characteristic of those with the latest onset of menstruation. This relationship was confirmed by correlation between menarcheal age and BMI. The present study indicates that the tempo of maturation showed strong dependence on body adiposity. It corroborates suggestions of other authors indicating that early menarcheal age can be considered as one of the basic risk factors of obesity in adulthood.