Age at menarche and its related factors among students of Qaen, East of Iran, in 2016

Background and Objective: Age at menarche is the key indicator of puberty in females and is the reflector of populations health that different hereditary and environmental factors affect it. The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the age at menarche and its related factors among 10-16-year-old students of Qaen, East of Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 400, 10-16-year-old students of Qaen located at the East of Iran, in 2016. The participants were selected by the random multistage sampling of students in elementary and secondary schools that were eligible to participate in the study. Data collection was carried out through interviews and a checklist including demographic and menarche information and height and weight measurements in schools. The data were analyzed using SPSS 18 by Pearson’s correlation, t-test, and multiple linear regressions. Findings: The mean age of participants was 13.86±1.10 years, mean Body Mass Index (BMI) was 20.38±2.72 kg/m2 and mean age at menarche was 12.78±1.23 years. An inverse correlation existed between the age at menarche and BMI (r=−0.123, p=0.014) while the height (r=0.195, p=0.0001), maternal age (r=0.223, p=0.0001) and sleep duration (r=0.156, p=0.002) were directly related to age at menarche. No significant relationship existed between age at menarche and weight of students (p = 0.86). Conclusion: The mean of students menarche age was as average as Iranian studies. Due to the decreasing trend of age at menarche and its relation with BMI, educational interventions seem to be necessary in order to improve lifestyle and prevention of early menarche complications.

کلیدواژه ها:

Age at menarche ، Puberty ، Body mass index ، Iran