title: Association of maternal menarcheal age with anthropometric dimensions and blood pressure in children from Greater Bilbao.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Earlier menarche has been related to shorter height and greater obesity-related anthropometric dimensions and blood pressure in women. Boys and girls with earlier maternal menarcheal age (MMA) have shown greater height and body mass index (BMI) in childhood.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyse associations of menarcheal age with their own and their children's anthropometric dimensions and blood pressure.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 493 women and their children (aged 2-19 years) from Greater Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain). For both generations there is information on 19 anthropometric dimensions, blood pressure and socio-demographic characteristics. Linear regressions adjusted for different covariates were used to analyse the associations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Menarcheal age in women showed the greatest positive associations with iliospinal height and ectomorphy and negative associations with BMI, sum of six skin-folds, endomorphy and mesomorphy. Boys with earlier MMA had greater body heights and breadths, particularly iliospinal height and biacromial breadth (0.10 z-score/year; p < 0.05). In girls, earlier MMA predicted greater sitting height, biepicondylar humerus breadth, weight and sum of four circumferences (0.07-0.09 z-score/year; p < 0.05). However, there was some evidence that MMA was positively associated with body heights, ectomorphy and blood pressure in girls aged ≥12.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with earlier MMA tend to have greater anthropometric dimensions. Adolescent growth spurt might affect these relationships, at least in girls.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology , University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU , Spain .|b IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science , Spain , and.|c Department of Public Health , Hjelt Institute, University of Helsinki , Finland.
authors.forename: Aline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jelenkovic
authors.affiliation: a Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology , University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU , Spain .
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rebato
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000886:Anthropometry; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008572:Menarche / Q000502:physiology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D057566:Self Report; D013030:Spain
keywords: Age at menarche; adolescent growth spurt; body heights and breadths; obesity-related dimensions; sex differences