Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Perinatal Medicine, Clinical Hospital Center Zagreb, Croatia.
Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2012 Jan;160(1):51-4. doi: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2011.09.029. Epub 2011 Oct 13.
To study the secular trend of menarche in high-school urban adolescent girls (Zagreb, Croatia) over the last two decades, and to evaluate the possible impact of worsening of socio-economic conditions on age at menarche during the Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995).
Three surveys of female adolescents aged 15-19 years: (a) 523 girls interviewed in 1990, (b) 888 girls interviewed in 1997, and (c) 399 girls interviewed in 2010. Self-reported age at menarche (in decimal years) was presented by age groups and year of interview. Differences in mean age at menarche between adolescent age groups as well as between surveys were tested using One-way ANOVA.
The mean age at menarche was 12.82 years in 1990, 12.92 years in 1997 and 12.31 years in 2010. It increased by 0.10 years from 1990 to 1997 (p=0.290) and then declined by 0.61 years from 1997 to 2010 (p<0.001). Over the 20-year period, the overall mean age at menarche declined by 0.51 years (p<0.001).
The age at menarche in Zagreb adolescents continued to decline significantly from 1990 to 2010 (p<0.001), in spite of a statistically insignificant initial increase between 1990 and 1997. When put in broader context, age at menarche mirrored socio-economic changes in the war period.
研究过去二十年里，克罗地亚萨格勒布市城市少女初潮的长期变化趋势，并评估克罗地亚独立战争（1991-1995 年）期间社会经济条件恶化对初潮年龄可能产生的影响。
对 15-19 岁的少女进行了三次调查：（a）1990 年对 523 名少女进行访谈，（b）1997 年对 888 名少女进行访谈，（c）2010 年对 399 名少女进行访谈。通过年龄组和访谈年份报告初潮年龄（用十进制表示）。采用单因素方差分析比较青少年各年龄组之间以及各调查之间初潮年龄的平均值差异。
1990 年、1997 年和 2010 年的平均初潮年龄分别为 12.82 岁、12.92 岁和 12.31 岁。1990 年至 1997 年，初潮年龄每年增加 0.10 岁（p=0.290），而 1997 年至 2010 年，初潮年龄每年减少 0.61 岁（p<0.001）。在 20 年期间，初潮年龄的总体平均值下降了 0.51 岁（p<0.001）。
尽管 1990 年至 1997 年之间的初潮年龄出现了统计学上无显著意义的初期增加，但自 1990 年以来，萨格勒布少女的初潮年龄继续显著下降（p<0.001）。从更广泛的背景来看，初潮年龄反映了战争期间社会经济的变化。
