Age at menarche and nutritional status of urban school girls

Abstract

A study on “Age at Menarche and Nutritional Status of Urban School Girls” was carried out to find out the relationship between age at menarche and nutritional status of urban school girls. Data regarding socio-economic characteristics, food consumption pattern and nutritional status of the respondents were generated. The present study was done among the two groups viz. Early Menarche Respondents (EMR) and Late Menarche Respondents (LMR). Majority of the EMR were in a age group of 10-11 years whereas LMR were in a age group of 16-17 years. Social status of the respondents indicated that majority of them were Hindus and belonged to forwarded castes. Nuclear families consisting of four members were found to be common among the respondents. Economic status of the respondents revealed that majority of them had a family income less than Rs.2250 per month. Majority of the respondents of the current study were habitual non-vegetarians. Cereals, nuts and oil seeds, sugar were used daily in the dietaries among both the groups while egg, meat and fruits were less frequently used by them. Analysis of the anthropometric data, showed that more than fifty per cent of respondents had normal Body Mass Index (BMI) and Triceps Skin fold Thickness (TST) where as Waist Hip Ratio (WHR) was found high in majority of EMR and low among LMR. Nutrient intake of the respondents showed that among EMR, except iron, protein and fat intake were found to be at par with Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) whereas among LMR except protein and iron, fat intake was found above the RDA. Clinical examination revealed mild symptoms of anaemia, teeth caries and mottled enamel among the respondents. The results of the biochemical assessment indicated that majority of the respondents were non anaemic. A reasonable percentage of the respondents were mildly anaemic. No one was found severely anaemic. Nutritional Status Index (NSI) of EMR varies from 0.18 to 9.13 whereas for LMR it ranged between 0.01 and 5.41. Majority of the EMR and LMR were found to be having medium NSI. A significant co relational was observed between EMR’s age at menarche with independent variables such as total family income, body weight, TST, BMI, NSI, energy and fat intake where as with LMR only family size showed a co relational with their age at menarche.