Adiposity markers and its association with age at menarche: A comparative study among rural and urban Meitei females of Manipur, North-East India

Earlier Age at Menarche Is Associated with Body Fat and Negative Body Image in Adult Life

Earlier age at menarche is one of the well-documented antecedents of a range of adverse health effects in adulthood including obesity and psychopathological effects. Yet, few researchers have examined the potential association of menarcheal age with body fat distribution, self-perception, and body image. We retrospectively tested a sample (N = 392) of adult women (18-80 years) to examine the associations of age at menarche with body composition and body image indices. Analyses of covariance and multivariable logistic and linear regression were fitted adjusting for age, physical activity level, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Further adjustment was made for body mass index (BMI) and percentage of fat mass. Earlier age at menarche was associated with slightly increased odds of higher BMI and abdominal fat percentage; of note is the positive correlation with lower body composition indices including hip and calf circumferences/skinfolds. Additionally, earlier age at menarche was associated with higher scores in the negative body image scales, namely overweight preoccupation and self-classified weight, whereas lower risks were found for higher scores in the positive body image scales, namely appearance evaluation and body area satisfaction scales. These findings remained significant after correcting for body fat percentage. The present results showed positive associations for earlier age at menarche with gross indices of obesity with the associations mainly confined to distribution of body fat in the lower part of the body, whereas an increased risk of negative body image was also found. Future research could refine our understanding of the biological and psychological mechanisms underlying these associations.

Residential green space and age at menarche in German and Australian adolescent girls: A longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

A large multicentre European study reported later onset of menopause among women residing in greener areas. This influence on the timing of a reproductive event like menopause, raises the question whether similar associations can be observed with timing of menarche. We investigated whether exposure to residential green space was related to the age at menarche in German and Australian adolescent girls.

METHODS

The analytic samples comprised of 1706 German and 1474 Australian adolescent girls. Percentage of green space was calculated in 1000 m buffers around a residential address or its surrogate at the previous follow-up. Mixed effects Cox proportional hazard models were used to explore the associations. The survival object was the occurrence of menarche at the time of follow-up (15-year follow-up of the German cohorts and the study wave at 14-15 years in the Australian cohort) and number of years since baseline (10-year follow-up in the German cohort and the study wave at 10-11 years in the Australian cohort). Participants who did not reach menarche were included as censored observations.

RESULTS

A greener residence was not associated with the age at menarche. Null findings were consistent in the general population and in analyses stratified by socioeconomic status or urbanicity in both countries. Urban residents were more likely to have earlier menarche, and this association was consistent across Germany and Australia.

CONCLUSION

The results of our analysis do not support the hypothesis that residing in places with more green space can influence timing of menarche. However, given the limitations of our study, researchers should not be discouraged to further explore environmental risk factors of early menarche.

Association of Obesity and Body Fat Percentage with Pubertal State in Six- to Nine-Year-Old Chinese Females

Background: An early trend in the mean age of pubertal onset appears in adolescents, but the association between body fat percentage (BF%) of children and precocious puberty is unclear. The aim of the study was to analyze the association of sexual development with BF% in girls. Methods: A total of 407 females were included in this cross-sectional study. BF% was measured by Inbody S10, International Obesity Task Force was used to judge overweight or obesity, and early puberty was defined as a younger age than the median age in each of the pubertal Tanner stages. Logistic regression analysis was used to test relationships between pubertal states and independent variables, including age, weight, waist circumference (WC), type of school, and residency. Results: Females with early puberty exhibited higher anthropometry data (such as weight, BMI, BF%) than females with normal maturation (p < 0.001). Weight, BMI, WC, BF% residency, and school type were related to pubertal state (p < 0.001). Females with higher BF% were more likely to exhibit early puberty (odds ratio = 1.138, 95% confidence interval = 1.046-1.237). The students who lived in urban areas and studied in public schools had a lower risk of early puberty. Moreover, BF% continuously increased with age in 6- to 9-year-old girls. Conclusions: Females with higher BF% may be more likely to exhibit early puberty. In future studies, more research is needed to analyze this mechanism of how BF% influences puberty development.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity and associated factors among women of childbearing age in Brazil

OBJECTIVE

To assess the factors associated with overweight and obesity among women of childbearing age in Brazil.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Using the National Health Survey (PNS) database, from the year 2013. The socio-economic and demographic factors analysed were age, race/skin colour, region, marital status, education level, employment and family income. Concerning health history, diagnoses of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, heart attack, stroke, chronic kidney disease, menarche, parity and depression were evaluated. For lifestyle information, health status, alcoholic beverage consumption, smoking and physical activity were included. The outcomes were obesity and overweight. The association of excess weight with socio-economic and demographic factors, health history and lifestyle characteristics was investigated according to the appropriate theoretical-conceptual model for the topic.

PARTICIPANTS

The sample size was 17 109 women aged 18-49 years.

RESULTS

The prevalence of women with excess weight was 55·20 %, with 33·26 % being overweight and 21·94 % with obesity. The factors associated with excess weight were age, non-white skin colour, having a partner, family income of up to two minimum wages, menarche before the age of 12, multiparity, diabetes mellitus, depression, hypertension, high cholesterol, stroke and heart attack.

CONCLUSION

The results showed an association between excess weight and socio-demographic factors, both determinants of general and reproductive health history. Implementation of effective public health policies is necessary to prevent unfavourable outcomes related to the health of women of childbearing age with excess weight.