This study was carried out to analyze the relationship between menarcheal age and physical growth(height, weight and chest-girth). The total number of 594 of girls was drown from a high school in Seoul. For data collection, the survey was conducted August 17-23 1989 by using questionaire on the menarche and height, weight and chest-girth during 12 years (age from 7 to 18 years old). The distribution of birth year in 594 girls was 28 in 1970, 474 in 1971, 91 in 1972 and 1 in 1973. The number of subject for analyzing general characteristics on the menarche was 594 girls, and among of them, 471 girls born in 1971 selected for the study on the relationship between menarcheal age and physical growth.
The Major results of the study are summarized as following ;
1. An average age of menarche in 594 girls was 13.49±1.03, and half of them experienced menarche between 13.0 and 13.4 years old. All of them experienced menarche at survey time. For the six months after menarche, 24.2 percent of them had regular menstrual cycle and 75.8 percent of them had irregular cycle. In the season of menarche appearance, the incidence of menarche was greatest in the summer(33.3%), and 30.7 percent in winter, 19.2 percent in fall and 16.8 percent in spring.
2. In pattern of physical growth(during 12 years, age 7-18) in 471 girls by menarcheal age group(Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ), the early menarcheal age was characterized by greater physical growth in height, weight and chest-girth than that of the late menarcheal age group. The annual increment of height, weight and chest-girth was greater than that of girls with late menarche in age from 7 to 13, whereas these patterns reversed over age at 13. In the indices of physique (relative body weight and Verveack index) from 7 to 18 years old the indices of girls with the early menarche were higher than those of girls with late menarche. In the age at menarche by the degree of physical growth before point of menarche(7-12 years old), the girls with the taller in height, heavier in weight and bulkier in chest-girth were advanced in mean age at menarche as compared with the lower physical development group.
Maximum growth age (MGA) was 11.3 in height, 11.9 in weight and 12.3 in chest-girth, and MGA by the physical growth was appeared about 2.1 years, 1.5 years and 1.1 years earlier in height, weight and chest-girth from the point of menarche.
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