Age at menarche in contemporary Greek girls: evidence for levelling-off of the secular trend. 2008

Anastasios Papadimitriou, and Grigorios Fytanidis, and Konstandinos Douros, and Chryssa Bakoula, and Polyxeni Nicolaidou, and Andreas Fretzayas
Third Department of Pediatrics, University of Athens School of Medicine, Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece. anpapad@med.uoa.gr

OBJECTIVE To examine the secular trend of menarcheal age in Greek girls during the last decade. METHODS Seven hundred and fifty senior high schoolgirls were asked through a questionnaire to report their date of menarche, participation in physical activities and their weight status at menarche. The data were compared with those of a study of 1996. RESULTS Mean age at menarche (+/-SD) in 2006 was 12.29 (1.19) and in 1996 it was 12.27 (1.13) years, p = 0.73. Maternal menarcheal age was 13.02 (1.32). There was a significant correlation between age at menarche of the schoolgirls and their mothers, p < 0.0001. There was a significant difference in the age at menarche according to the schoolgirls' perceived weight status. Menarcheal age of obese girls (n = 56) was 11.73 (1.21) years, of normal weight girls (n = 474) was 12.29 (1.21) years and of lean girls (n = 220) was 12.42 (1.14) years, p < 0.001. There was no significant difference in the age at menarche between the girls that participated, 12.23 (1.19), and those that did not participate in sporting activities, 12.32 (1.19), p = 0.31. CONCLUSIONS Levelling-off of the age at menarche over the last 10 years occurred in Greek girls living in Athens. Menarcheal age is influenced by the weight status and maternal menarcheal age.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008572 Menarche The first MENSTRUAL CYCLE marked by the initiation of MENSTRUATION.
D010465 Perception The process by which the nature and meaning of sensory stimuli are recognized and interpreted. Sensory Processing,Processing, Sensory
D011581 Psychological Tests Standardized tests designed to measure abilities (as in intelligence, aptitude, and achievement tests) or to evaluate personality traits. Parenting Stress Index,Trier Social Stress Test,Trier Stress Test,Psychologic Tests,Psychological Test,Test, Psychological,Tests, Psychological,Index, Parenting Stress,Psychologic Test,Stress Index, Parenting,Stress Test, Trier,Test, Psychologic,Test, Trier Stress,Trier Stress Tests
D011594 Psychometrics Assessment of psychological variables by the application of mathematical procedures. Psychometric
D011795 Surveys and Questionnaires Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions. Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D001828 Body Image Individuals' concept of their own bodies. Body Identity,Body Representation,Body Schema,Body Images,Body Representations,Body Schemas,Identity, Body,Image, Body,Representation, Body,Schema, Body
D001835 Body Weight The mass or quantity of heaviness of an individual. It is expressed by units of pounds or kilograms. Body Weights,Weight, Body,Weights, Body
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D005260 Female Females
D006115 Greece A country in southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey. The capital is Athens. Crete,Macedonia (Greece)

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