Menarcheal and pubertal development and determining factors among schoolgirls in Kumasi, Ghana

作者：Opare Addo P M^*; Stowe M; Ankobea Kokroe F; Zheng T

来源：Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2012, 32(2): 159-165.

DOI：10.3109/01443615.2011.638092

• Development
• Ghana
• girls
• menarche
• pubertal development

To determine menarcheal and pubertal ages and possible factors responsible for current pubertal trends in Kumasi, Ghana, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 720 urban and rural Kumasi 7-17-year-old schoolgirls and their mothers in 2008. Heights and weights were measured and additional information obtained by survey. Mantel-Haenzsel, chi(2), ordered logistic regression and probit analyses were used to analyse the data collected. With 40.42% menarcheal prevalence, median menarcheal ages were significantly different: 12.37 +/- 1.48 years urban and 13.41 +/- 2.25 years rural; 12.89 +/- 1.93 years, overall. Obesity (OR = 2.57; p = 0.033) and high socioeconomic status (OR = 2.12; p = 0.008) were predictors of early menarche, while a younger mother was protective against early menarche (OR = 0.32; p = 0.039). Age at menarche among Kumasi schoolgirls has dropped 0.76 years since it was last determined among similarly aged girls in 1986, declining at a rate of about 0.32 years/decade. The predicting factors provide an important opportunity for intervention through school curricula and targeted education of adolescents.

• 出版日期2012-2