Is Obesity at Individual and National Level Associated With Lower Age at Menarche? Evidence From 34 Countries in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study

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• 作者：Candace Currie ; Ph.D.^a ; ^{cec53@st-andrews.ac.uk} ; Naman Ahluwalia ; Ph.D.^b ; Emmanuelle Godeau ; M.D.^c ; Saoirse Nic Gabhainn ; Ph.D.^d ; Pernille Due ; M.D.^e ; Dorothy B. Currie ; M.Sc.^f
• 关键词：Childhood obesity ; Adolescent obesity ; Age at menarche ; Early puberty ; HBSC
• 刊名：Journal of Adolescent Health
• 出版年：2012
• 期刊代码：140_1054139x
• 类别：med
• 出版时间：June, 2012
• 卷：50
• 期：6
• 页码：621-626
• 文件大小：423 K

摘要

Purpose

A unique standardized international data set from adolescent girls in 34 countries in Europe and North America participating in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study (HBSC) is used to investigate the contribution of body mass index (BMI) at individual and country level to cross-national differences in age at menarche.

Methods

Two independent nationally representative survey data sets from 15-year-olds (n = 27,878, in 34 countries, year = 2005/2006) and 11-year-olds (n = 18,101, in 29 countries, year = 2001/2002) were analyzed. The survey instrument is a self-report questionnaire. Median age at menarche and 95%confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Hierarchical models were used to assess the relationship between BMI and age at menarche (months). 鈥淐ountry-level obesity鈥?was measured by prevalence of overweight/obesity (%) in each country.

Results

Country-level median age at menarche ranged between 12 years and 5 months and 13 years and 5 months. Country-level prevalence of overweight among 15-year-old girls ranged from 4%to 28%. Age at menarche was inversely associated with individual BMI (unstandardized regression coefficient beta = 鈭?.01; 95%CI, 鈭?.09 to 鈭?94) and country-level aggregate overweight at age 11 (unstandardized regression coefficient beta = 鈭?25; 95%CI, 鈭?43 to 鈭?08). Individual- and country-level measures of BMI account for 40%of the country-level variance in age at menarche.

Conclusions

The findings add to the evidence that obesity in childhood is a risk factor for early puberty in girls and accounts for much of the cross-national variation in age at menarche. Future HBSC surveys can track this relationship in the wake of the obesity 鈥渆pidemic.鈥?/div>