Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Department of Physiology & Cell Biology, University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
J Adolesc. 2021 Jan;86:40-53. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.12.001. Epub 2020 Dec 9.
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.
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.
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.
The age at menarche was associated with SES and changes in various anthropometric measurements reflecting the growth status of girls.
初潮年龄被认为是女性生殖成熟的一个重要指标，反映了人口的健康状况。本研究旨在确定初潮年龄的平均值，并研究在巴基斯坦旁遮普省的女孩中，体型和社会经济地位（SES）是否会影响初潮年龄。
本研究采用基于人群的横断面研究，在旁遮普省 12 个区的 35 所学校招募了 10050 名 8-16 岁的在校女生。通过问卷获得初潮数据，通过测量站立身高、体重、腰围和臀围获得人体测量数据。比较了初潮前后女孩的人体测量指数。学生 t 检验、方差分析和事后 Tukey 检验分别用于两组和多组之间的比较，P 值<0.05 被认为具有统计学意义。
初潮年龄呈正态分布，研究人群的平均值为 12.4 岁。与初潮前的同龄人相比，初潮的女孩更高、更重，BMI 更高，腰围和臀围更大。与初潮前的女孩相比，初潮后的女孩的腰臀比更小，腰高比更高。与中/高 SES 的女孩相比，低 SES 的女孩初潮时间较晚。
初潮年龄与 SES 有关，并与反映女孩生长状况的各种人体测量变化有关。
