title: Associations of early life and sociodemographic factors with menarcheal age in European adolescents.
abstract: Early menarche has been associated with adult overweight, cardiovascular risk factors, and other diseases. Little is known about the determinants of menarcheal age (MA). Therefore, the main aim of this study was to examine the associations between early life programming factors and menarcheal age in European adolescents. Secondly, the influence of sociodemographical factors on menarcheal age was also studied. A total of 1,069 European girls from the HELENA cross-sectional study, aged 12.5-17.5 years, were included in this study. Using multilevel linear regression models, a possible association between birth weight and length, ponderal index at birth, gestational age, duration of exclusive breastfeeding, and menarcheal age was examined. Associations between geographical gradient, number of siblings, physical activity (PA), dietary factors, and menarcheal age were also examined. After adjustment, menarcheal age was positively associated with birth weight and length (p = 0.01 and p = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings confirm that birth weight and length may have a programming effect on menarcheal age. Next to this finding, sociodemographic factors were not associated with menarcheal age.
authors: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, UZ-Gent, 2 Blok A, De Pintelaan 185, 9000, Ghent, Belgium, evelienmeulenijzer@gmail.com.
authors: Evelien
authors: E
authors: Meulenijzer
authors: Krishna
authors: K
authors: Vyncke
authors: Idoia
authors: I
authors: Labayen
authors: Aline
authors: A
authors: Meirhaeghe
authors: Laurent
authors: L
authors: Béghin
authors: Christina
authors: C
authors: Breidenassel
authors: Vanesa
authors: V
authors: España-Romero
authors: Υannis
authors: Υ
authors: Manios
authors: Marika
authors: M
authors: Ferrari
authors: Luis A
authors: LA
authors: Moreno
authors: Frédéric
authors: F
authors: Gottrand
authors: Stefaan
authors: S
authors: De Henauw
authors: Marcela
authors: M
authors: González-Gross
authors: Anthony
authors: A
authors: Kafatos
authors: Kurt
authors: K
authors: Widhalm
authors: Dénes
authors: D
authors: Molnár
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Sjöstrom
authors: Ascensión
authors: A
authors: Marcos
authors: Odysseas
authors: O
authors: Androutsos
authors: Julia
authors: J
authors: Wärnberg
authors: Chantal C
authors: CC
authors: Gilbert
authors: Inge
authors: I
authors: Huybrechts
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D003710:Demography; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008572:Menarche / Q000502:physiology*; D066252:Sociological Factors