Dysmenorrhea in adolescent girls

INTRODUCTION: Dysmenorrhea is highly prevalent during adolescence but the incidence of this disease is very often underestimated. Depending on different measurement methods 20-90% of adolescent girls report dysmenorrhea. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the prevalence of dysmenorrhea among high-school female adolescent students in Eastern-Hungary. Early diagnosis and treatment of the possible pathological background is very important to prevent long term consequences. RESULTS: 2337 girls were interviewed in this study about their menstrual cycle. The overall prevalence of dysmenorrhea in this population was 79.2%. Altogether 67.0% described their pain and cramp as severe. 61.2% of the girls use some kind of medication due to dysmenorrhea. Despite these data only 1.2% of them had previous medical counseling because of their complains. CONCLUSIONS: It is important to screen female adolescents for dysmenorrhea and provide them with information on the disease and possible treatment options. Follow up of these adolescents is mandatory especially in cases not responding to standard medical treatment.     

Religiousness and sexual responsibility in adolescent girls.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate a potential association between religiousness and sexual responsibility in a nationally representative sample of adolescent girls. METHODS: Subjects were 3356 adolescent girls (mean age 15.97 years, SD = 1.77; 59.4% Euro-American, 23.3% African-American, 6.0% Hispanic, and 11.4% of other ethnic backgrounds) from the Wave I, In-Home section of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health Study) who responded to items on four dimensions of religiousness (frequent attendance of religious events, personal conservatism, personal devotion, and religious denomination) and three dimensions of sexual responsibility (sexual activity, perception of risk in unprotected intercourse, and birth control use). Data were analyzed using a series of regression analyses with religiousness as the predictor and sexual responsibility as the outcome. RESULTS: Personal devotion was positively associated with fewer sexual partners outside a romantic relationship. Frequent attendance of religious events was positively associated with greater perception of risk of contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or pregnancy from unprotected intercourse, greater foresight of suffering from HIV or pregnancy, and a responsible and planned use of birth control. Personal conservatism was positively associated with unprotected sex. CONCLUSION: Sexual responsibility was positively associated with personal devotion and frequent attendance of religious events but inversely associated with personal conservatism.     

Bulimic symptoms in adolescent girls and boys.

OBJECTIVE: The factor structure of the Bulimic Investigatory Test (BITE) was examined in adolescent girls and boys. METHOD: Seven hundred and seventy seven adolescents (427 girls and 350 boys) completed the BITE. RESULTS: Consistent with the original scale, one factor describing overall bulimic symptoms was found for the girls. However, two factors were required to summarize the boys' symptoms: "Emotional and Rigid/Disruptive Eating Style" and "Food Preoccupation and Binging." DISCUSSION: The results are discussed in relation to Fairburn's (Fairburn. (1995). Overcoming Binge Eating. New York: Guilford) distinction which separates problem from nonproblem binge eating. Further studies are now needed to examine the mechanisms underlying the development of bulimic eating in boys and young men.     

Eating disorders in adolescent girls

Eating disorders affect a minority of adolescents, but represent a significant source of chronic illness in this age group. Treatment requires a multidisciplinary team approach and family involvement. The prognosis for adolescents is better than that for adult patients with eating disorders, but requires prompt diagnosis and referral to experienced providers. In this article, updates on the latest developments in the diagnosis and treatment of anorexia nervosa and bulimia are presented.     

Measuring enjoyment of physical activity in adolescent girls.

BACKGROUND: Enjoyment has been implicated as a determinant of physical activity among youth, but advances in understanding its importance have been limited by the use of measures that were not adequately validated. The present study examined: (1) the factorial validity of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES), and (2) the construct validity of PACES scores. METHODS: Adolescent girls (N=1797), who were randomly assigned to calibration (n=899) and cross-validation (n=898) samples, completed the PACES and measures of factors influencing enjoyment of physical education, physical activity, and sport involvement. The factorial validity of the PACES and the measure of factors influencing enjoyment of physical education was tested using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The hypothesized relationships among the measures were tested using structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Unidimensional models fit the PACES and the measure of factors influencing enjoyment of physical education in the calibration and cross-validation samples. The hypothesized relationships between the PACES and the measures of factors influencing enjoyment of physical education, physical activity, and sport involvement were supported in the entire sample, were similar in African-American and Caucasian girls, and were independent of physical fitness. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence of factorial validity and convergent evidence for construct validity indicate that the PACES is a valid measure of physical activity enjoyment among adolescent girls, suitable for use as a mediator variable in interventions designed to increase physical activity.     

Disease and pregnancy in adolescent girls

The frequency of visits to the outpatient clinic, chief complaints, and pregnancies of adolescent girls were analyzed. The age distribution of adolescent girls who visited the clinic showed that the higher the age, the higher the frequency of menstrual cycle abnormalities.Recently, increased sexual activity has been seen in teenagers and has caused problems, especially the increase in teenage pregnancies, contributing to increases in induced abortion. To avoid unwanted pregnancy of unmarried teenagers, intensive sex education is essential, as well as provision of contraceptives.

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Resumen En niñas adolescentes fueron analizadas la frecuencia de visitas al consultorio externo, las quejas principales y los embarazos.La distribución por edad de las adolescentes que visitaron la clínica, mostró que a mayor edad más alta era la frecuencia de anormalidades en el ciclo menstrual.Recientemente, el aumento de la actividad sexual ha creado problemas, especialmente el incremento de embarazos en adolescentes, lo que ha contribuido al aumento de abortos inducidos. Para evitar los embarazos no deseados en las adolescentes solteras, es esencial una educación sexual intensiva incluyendo la provisión de anticonceptivos.

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Resumé On a analysé dans une clinique externe la fréquence des visites d'adolescentes, leurs principales affections et les grossesses. Selon la répartition des âges, on a observé que plus elles étaient âgées, plus elles présentaient d'anomalies du cycle menstruel.On a constaté récemment chez les adolescentes au-dessous de vingt ans une augmentation de l'activité sexuelle qui a occasionné des problèmes, notamment des grossesses plus fréquentes dans cette tranche d'âge, ayant pour conséquence un accroissement du nombre des avortements provoqués. II est essential, si l'on veut éviter des grossesses non désirées chez les adolescentes célibataires, de prévoir non seulement une éducation sexuelle intensive mais aussi la mise à disposition de contraceptifs.

     

Sexual orientation of adolescent girls

It is important for healthcare providers to have a clear understanding of sexual orientation and other components of sexual identity (genetic gender, anatomic gender, gender identity, gender role, and sexual behavior). Knowledge of how a lesbian identity is formed will aide providers in guiding these girls through adolescence. Societal stigma often forces isolation that leads to many risky behaviors that affect health (alcohol and drug use; risky sexual behaviors; truancy and dropping out; running away and homelessness; and depression and suicide). Health providers need to ensure a safe and understanding environment for these girls, to enhance their physical, emotional, and social development to healthy adulthood.     

Modification of eating attitudes and behavior in adolescent girls: A controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based eating disorder prevention program designed to reduce dietary restraint and concern about shape and weight among adolescent girls. METHOD: A total of 474 girls aged 13-14 years received the program as part of their normal school curriculum. An assessment-only control group included 386 pupils. Measures of eating disorder features, self-esteem, and knowledge were administered before and after the intervention and at 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: Immediately following the intervention, there was a small reduction in dietary restraint and attitudes to shape and weight in the index group, whereas there was no change in the control group. This reduction was not maintained at 6-month follow-up although the dietary restraint scores of the index group remained lower than those of the control group. DISCUSSION: This prevention program achieved change in eating attitudes and behavior, although the change was modest in size and not sustained. Focusing on a high-risk subgroup of dieters might be a more fruitful primary prevention strategy.     

Human papillomavirus and adolescent girls

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STI) in young women. Infection frequently is asymptomatic, but may lead to anogenital condylomata and cervical squamous cell carcinoma. This article provides an overview of the recent literature on HPV infection and its clinical sequelae with a focus on issues pertinent to adolescents.     

Definitions of night eating in adolescent girls

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of night eating in a community cohort of black and white girls, using different definitions of night eating as described in the literature. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Three-day food diaries collected as part of the National Growth and Health Study were examined to identify episodes of night eating, which was defined in five different ways: eating >25% of daily caloric intake after the last evening meal, eating >25% of daily caloric intake after 7 pm, eating >50% of daily caloric intake after the last evening meal, eating >50% of daily caloric intake after 7 pm, or eating between 11 pm and 4:59 am. RESULTS: Frequency of night eating varied tremendously depending on how the behavior was defined. For the least restrictive definition (>25% of total intake after last meal), 50% to 70% of girls reported one night eating event; for the most restrictive (>50% of total intake after last meal), only 1.5% of 11-year-old girls' diaries and 3.5% of 19-year-old girls' diaries contained a night eating event. The frequency of night eating decreased dramatically (typically by a factor of 10) if the inclusion criteria required multiple night eating events in a given week. DISCUSSION: A standard definition of night eating behavior is needed to advance the field. An agreed-on operationalized definition that includes time of day, amount of calories consumed, and a frequency criterion would enable cross-study comparisons and encourage the examination of developmental and clinical considerations of night eating behavior.     

Dietary intakes among Turkish adolescent girls

The aim of this study was to obtain data about the nutritional intake of adolescent girls from Edirne, Turkey. In a sample of 940 healthy adolescent girls aged between 12 and 17 years, intake of macronutrients and micronutrients was assessed from 3-day self-reported food records. In general, macronutrient intake was found to be adequate whereas micronutrient intake was lower than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA). The percentage of energy distribution of the subjects derived from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats was 53.6%, 10.9%, and 35.5%, respectively. Compared with the RDA, reported intakes of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and fiber were most likely to be inadequate; those of folic acid and potassium were adequate; and those of vitamins A and C were well above. Adolescent girls living in the rural area consumed lower amounts of energy, carbohydrate, protein, niacin, folic acid, vitamin C, and sodium and higher amounts of thiamin compared with those living in the urban area. Based on the findings of this study, a preventive nutritional concept for Turkish adolescent girls was proposed.     

Reproductive health in adolescent girls in social-hygiene montoring

The health status (somatic and reproductive functions) was studied in 15-17-year-old girls residing in different areas of an industrial city with varying anthropogenic loads mainly caused by chemicals. There were statistically significant differences in the health indices of the girls and their reproductive functions (menstrual function, development of genitals, the status of the viscera).