Menarche among rural adolescent girls in Dervan (Data from the KONKAN region of the state of Maharashtra, India)

Context: Associations between age at menarche and risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease are well established in adults. But little is known about these risks in adolescents. Aim: To examine the association between age at menarche and anthropometric indicators, and also examine nutrition among the rural adolescent girls of KONKAN region. Setting and Design: We investigated 1,071 school going adolescent girls who underwent holistic education and various clinical investigations as a part of community program. Age at menarche was recorded and anthropometric measurements were performed. Macronutrient intake was estimated by 24 h recall. Statistical Analysis Used: We used trend statistics and logistic regression to examine the association. Results: A total of 813 girls had attained menarche. Mean age at menarche was 13.0 years. When compared with premenarchal girls anthropometric parameters were significantly higher in postmenarchal girls (P