From the aSchool of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China; and bCity University of New York, School of Public Health and Hunter College, New York, NY.
Epidemiology. 2016 May;27(3):433-7. doi: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000000448.
Earlier age of menarche predicts chronic diseases. Earlier maternal age of menarche is also associated with higher body mass index (BMI) and height into childhood.
We used generalized estimating equations in Hong Kong's "Children of 1997" birth cohort to examine the adjusted association of maternal age of menarche with BMI and height z score, and whether associations varied by maternal birthplace.
Earlier maternal age of menarche was not associated with infant BMI but was associated subsequently with higher BMI in childhood and at puberty. Maternal age of menarche was negatively associated with height in children of Hong Kong-born mothers, but positively associated with infant length for children with mothers born in China (P value for interaction 0.02).
These different patterns suggest drivers of adiposity and linear growth differ, and are more influential in some circumstances. Understanding these drivers may indicate setting-specific interventions to prevent childhood obesity.
初潮年龄较早预示着慢性病。初潮时母亲的年龄也与儿童时期较高的体重指数（BMI）和身高有关。
我们使用香港“1997 年儿童”出生队列的广义估计方程，研究了初潮时母亲年龄与 BMI 和身高 z 分数的调整关联，以及这些关联是否因母亲出生地而异。
初潮时母亲年龄与婴儿 BMI 无关，但随后与儿童期和青春期 BMI 较高有关。初潮时母亲年龄与香港出生母亲的孩子的身高呈负相关，但与中国出生母亲的孩子的婴儿身长呈正相关（交互作用 P 值为 0.02）。
这些不同的模式表明肥胖和线性生长的驱动因素不同，在某些情况下影响更大。了解这些驱动因素可能表明需要针对特定情况的干预措施来预防儿童肥胖。
