Low digit ratio predicts early age at menarche in colombian schoolgirls

Background: The ratio between the lengths of the second and fourth fingers (digit ratio: 2D : 4D), a purported negative correlate of prenatal androgen exposure, has been inversely related to age at menarche. However, a recent study found high digit ratios in carriers of a single variant in the LIN28B gene, which has been linked to delayed menarche. Methods: We investigated the association of digit ratio and age at menarche in 299 pre‐menarcheal girls aged 5–12 years who participated in a longitudinal cohort study in Bogotá, Colombia. Finger lengths were measured at baseline and the occurrence of menarche was periodically ascertained over a median 32 months of follow‐up. We used time‐to‐event analysis to estimate median ages at menarche as well as hazard ratios for menarche according to tertiles of the digit ratio for each hand. Results: Estimated median age at menarche was lower for girls in the lowest digit ratio tertile of the right hand compared with those in the highest (12.0 vs. 12.3 years; P‐value = 0.04). After adjustment for baseline age, height‐ and body mass index‐for‐age z‐scores, the hazard of menarche was 86% higher in girls of the lowest digit ratio tertile (hazard ratio 1.9 [95% confidence interval 1.2, 2.9]) compared with those in the highest digit ratio tertile of the right hand. No significant associations were found with the left hand. Conclusions: Digit ratio was positively associated with age at menarche in this longitudinal investigation, consistent with results from a recent gene‐linkage study.     

Socioeconomic disadvantage in adolescent women and metabolic syndrome in mid-adulthood: an examination of pathways of embodiment in the Northern Swedish Cohort

Research indicates that disadvantaged socioeconomic status in childhood or adolescence increases specifically women's risk for developing metabolic syndrome in adulthood. Construing this observation as an expression of embodiment, the present study aims at examining the 'social chain of risk' and the 'reproduction' hypotheses as pathways of this embodiment. Participants were all women in the Northern Swedish Cohort, a 27-year prospective Swedish cohort, with data collection in 1981 at age 16 years (n = 1083, 506 women), and follow-up at age 21, 30 and 43 (n = 482 women) years. The analytical sample was n = 399 women (79% of the original cohort). Socioeconomic disadvantage was defined as parental manual occupation at age 16, and metabolic syndrome according to standardized criteria at age 43. The social chain of risk was operationalized as accumulated social and material adversities at age 16, 21, 30 and 43 years, and reproductive factors by age at menarche, early childbearing (before age 22), and number of children at age 43. In logistic regression with metabolic syndrome as the outcome, the OR for adolescent socioeconomic status was rendered non-significant and reduced by 21.6% after adjustment for cumulative adversity over the life course. Of the reproductive factors, only age at menarche lead to an OR reduction at all (by 4.1%). Our study suggests that women's embodiment of socioeconomic disadvantage during upbringing is partly explained by adversity over the subsequent life course. Future studies should incorporate the living conditions of women over the life course as a possible pathway whereby early life socioeconomic conditions are embodied.     

Socioeconomic status and health among older adults in Thailand: an examination using multiple indicators

A survey of 14,000 Thais, 50 and older, is utilized to test hypotheses about the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and health previously derived through observation of Western populations. Central among hypotheses is the notion that an inverse association can be uniformly detected across a matrix of SES indicators and health outcomes. Indicators of SES in this study include the traditional education, occupation and income measures, and a measure of household possessions. This later indicator may be particularly useful in a non-Western setting such as Thailand. Health outcomes were derived in order to represent a subjective, a social, and a medical conceptualization of health and included measures for self-assessed health, functional disorders and chronic health conditions. All health indicators were dichotomously coded as existence or non-existence. Also tested are associations throughout ordered categories of SES. Results generally support hypotheses. Unadjusted for other SES covariates, all four indicators of status strongly related to two of the three health measures, when controlling for other important covariates. When adjusted for each other, a number of the associations remained strong. There were also several notable exceptions. Little association existed between SES and chronic health disorders. The results may serve to highlight the distinct social environment acting upon the association.     

Socioeconomic status and age at menarche in indigenous and non-indigenous Chilean adolescents

The objective was to analyze the relationship between socioeconomic status and age at menarche among indigenous and non-indigenous girls in the Araucanía Region of Chile, controlling for nutritional status and mother's age at menarche. A total of 8,624 randomly selected girls from 168 schools were screened, resulting in the selection of 207 indigenous and 200 non-indigenous girls who had recently experienced menarche. Age at menarche was 149.6 ± 10.7 months in the indigenous group and 146.6 ± 10.8 months in the non-indigenous group. Among the non-indigenous, the analysis showed no significant association between age at menarche and socioeconomic status. In the indigenous group, age at menarche among girls with low socioeconomic status was 5.4 months later than among those with higher socioeconomic status. There were no differences in nutritional status according to socioeconomic level. Obesity was associated with earlier menarche. Menarche occurred earlier than in previous generations. An inverse relationship between socioeconomic status and age at menarche was seen in the indigenous group only; low socioeconomic status was associated with delayed menarche, regardless of nutritional status or mother's age at menarche.     

福建省女生月经初潮年龄变化趋势及与体质的关系

目的了解福建省女生月经初潮的发生现状及其变化规律。探讨月经初潮与形态、机能、素质的关系，为青春期健康教育工作提供依据。方法以分层整群抽样法，对7～18岁3847名女生进行现状调查，采用概率单位回归法计算月经初潮平均年龄（MMA）。结果女生月经初潮平均年龄为12．5岁，城乡月经初潮年龄差异有统计学意义（P〈0、05）。女生形态指标（身高、体质量、胸围、坐高）、维尔维克指数、劳累尔指数、肺活量，均为来潮组明显大于未来潮组，两组差异均有统计学意义（P〈0．01）。马氏躯干腿长指数则表现为未来潮组高于来潮组，差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。结论福建省学生月经初潮平均年龄提前趋势依然存在。形态发育、机能指标与青春期发育有密切关系。     

社会经济地位、健康生活方式与高血压发病的前瞻性队列研究

目的  探讨社会经济地位(socioeconomic status, SES)、健康生活方式与高血压发病的关系,为高血压的防控提供参考依据。方法  采用分层整群随机抽样于2010年对抽取的贵州省12个县(市、区)≥18岁常住居民共9 280人进行基线调查,于2016—2020年对该队列所有人群进行随访;采用t检验、χ²检验进行单因素分析,使用Cox比例风险回归模型分析SES、健康生活方式对高血压发病的影响。结果  研究有效样本量为3 401人,高血压发病765人,人群高血压发病密度为32.53/1 000人年。多因素Cox回归结果显示：与低SES(＜9分)人群相比,高SES(≥9分)人群高血压发病风险下降29.9%(HR=0.701, 95% CI: 0.584~0.842);与≤2种健康生活方式的人群相比,4种、≥5种健康生活方式人群发病风险分别降低25.7%(HR=0.743, 95% CI: 0.581~0.950)、39.2%(HR=0.608, 95% CI: 0.455~0.812)。与SES低且健康生活方式≤2种的人群相比,SES低且具有3种、4种、≥5种健康生活方式人群高血压发病风险的差异均无统计学意义(均有P＞0.05);SES高且具有3种、4种、≥5种健康生活方式的人群高血压发病风险分别降低36.3%(HR=0.637, 95% CI: 0.446~0.909)、44.0%(HR=0.560, 95% CI: 0.391~0.802)、55.8%(HR=0.442, 95% CI: 0.295~0.662)。结论  SES较低人群是贵州省高血压防控的重点人群,应采取措施提高其SES,并有针对性地开展健康教育与健康促进工作。     

Earlier age at menarche in girls with rapid early life growth: cohort and within sibling analyses

PurposeThe purpose of the article was to examine the association of early life growth with age at menarche.MethodsUsing data from a prospective birth cohort (n = 1134 women, 290 sibling sets), we assessed the association between postnatal growth at 4 months, 1 year, and 4 years and age at menarche, using generalized estimating equations and generalized linear random effects models.ResultsOverall, 18% of the cohort experienced early menarche (<12 years). After accounting for postnatal growth in length, faster postnatal change in weight (per 10-percentile increase) in all three periods was associated with an increase (range 9%–20%) in the likelihood of having an early menarche. In adjusted linear models, faster weight gains in infancy and childhood were associated with an average age at menarche that was 1.1–1.3 months earlier compared with stable growth. The overall results were consistent for percentile and conditional growth models. Girls who experienced rapid growth (defined as increasing across two major Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth percentiles) in early infancy had an average age at menarche that was 4.6 months earlier than girls whose growth was stable.ConclusionsFaster postnatal weight gains in infancy and early childhood before the age of 4 years are associated with earlier age at menarche.     

女生月经初潮年龄与家庭环境因素相关性分析

目的了解女生月经初潮年龄与家庭环境因素的关系,为采取干预措施和健康教育提供理论依据。方法整群抽取无锡市普通中小学四至六年级、初中一年级已来潮女生3 122名,进行月经初潮年龄及家庭情况的问卷调查。结果该地区女生月经初潮平均年龄为12.20岁,家庭经济收入、父母文化程度、家庭矛盾性、情感表达、亲密度为影响月经初潮的主要因素。结论女生月经初潮年龄与家庭环境因素密切相关。应加强对儿童及家长的健康教育,改善不良家庭关系,创造良好家庭氛围。     

成年女性初潮年龄与糖尿病患病关系及交互作用的研究

目的 探讨成年女性初潮年龄与糖尿病患病的关系。方法 使用“中国慢性病前瞻性研究”浙江省桐乡市项目点32 364名30～79岁女性常住居民有效基线调查数据,使用多重logistic回归分析,通过调整可能的混杂因素研究初潮年龄与糖尿病患病的关系,使用回归模型中初潮年龄与不同变量的乘积项,评价二者的交互作用。结果 调查对象平均年龄为（51.42±9.63）岁,3.73%的女性初潮年龄≤12岁,24.17%的女性初潮年龄≥17岁。调查对象糖尿病患病率为5.75%。调整年龄、社会经济状况、糖尿病家族史、行为习惯、闭经、BMI和腰围等因素后,与初潮年龄≥17岁相比,初潮年龄15～16、13～14和≤12岁女性成年后糖尿病患病OR值（95% CI）分别为1.13（1.00～1.27）、1.29（1.12～1.49）和1.68（1.31～2.15）。吸烟、饮酒、体力活动、肥胖等与初潮年龄无相乘交互作用（P>0.05）。结论 初潮年龄与女性糖尿病患病存在着关联。初潮年龄越早,成年后患糖尿病风险越大。初潮年龄和吸烟等成年期暴露因素对糖尿病无相乘交互作用。     

中国9～18岁少数民族女生月经初潮与形态发育关系研究

目的了解我国9~18岁少数民族女生月经初潮年龄及与形态发育之间的关系,为研究少数民族女生生长发育规律和开展青春期教育提供依据。方法利用2005年全国学生体质健康调研数据,对蒙、回、壮、朝鲜族9~18岁女生的月经初潮年龄、身高、体重、胸围和BM I等指标进行比较和统计检验。结果 2005年蒙、回、壮和朝鲜族女生月经初潮年龄分别为12.78,13.28,12.71,12.35岁。18岁组蒙、回、壮和朝鲜族女生身高分别为159.0,159.0,155.1和157.5 cm,体重分别为54.7,53.3,47.6和52.3 kg,胸围分别为78.7,78.8,75.7和79.4 cm。11~14岁已来潮女生形态发育情况要好于未来潮女生(P值均<0.01)。结论朝鲜族女生月经初潮年龄早于蒙、回、壮族,蒙古族和回族女生成年身高较高,月经初潮与形态发育关系密切。     

Socioeconomic status and age trajectories of health

The cumulative advantage hypothesis suggests diverging socioeconomic status (SES) based gaps in health with age. However, previous studies yield inconsistent findings regarding the association between SES and health across the adult life span. Dealing with the issue of mortality selection bias, this study utilizes latent growth-curve modeling to comprehensively examine age trajectories of both physical and mental health by SES using panel data based on a national probability sample of 3617 US adults. We find that education- and income-based gaps in physical impairment and the education-based gap in depression diverge over time for all adult age groups, supporting the hypothesis of cumulative advantage. In contrast, we find that the income-based gap in depression converges in older age, supporting the hypothesis of age-as-leveler. Mortality selection bias is unlikely to be a major part of the explanation for the convergence. These results indicate that age-related patterns in health trajectories may differ by various dimensions of SES and health. Finally, we take into account persistence or change in income over time to examine the relationship between trajectories of income and health across adulthood, highlighting the importance of considering the temporal patterns of income in understanding age trajectories of health.     

Socioeconomic status and smoking: analysing inequalities with multiple indicators

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Socioeconomic differences in smoking have been well established. While previous studies have mostly relied on one socioeconomic indicator at a time, this study examined socioeconomic differences in smoking by using several indicators that reflect different dimensions of socioeconomic position. DATA AND METHODS: Data derive from Helsinki Health Study baseline surveys conducted among the employees of the City of Helsinki in 2000 and 2001. The data include 6243 respondents aged 40-60 years (response rate 68%). Six socioeconomic indicators were used: education, occupational status, household income per consumption unit, housing tenure, economic difficulties and economic satisfaction. Their associations with current smoking were examined by fitting sequential logistic regression models. RESULTS: All socioeconomic indicators were strongly associated with smoking among both men and women. When the indicators were examined simultaneously their associations with smoking attenuated, especially when education and occupational status were considered together, and when income and housing tenure were introduced into the models already containing education and occupational status. After mutual adjustment for all socioeconomic indicators, housing tenure and economic satisfaction remained associated with smoking in men. In women, all indicators except income and economic difficulties were inversely associated with smoking after adjustments. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking was associated with structural, material as well as perceived dimensions of socioeconomic disadvantage. Attempts to reduce smoking among the socioeconomically disadvantaged need to target several dimensions of socioeconomic position.     

Inequalities in coverage of COVID-19 vaccination: A population register based cross-sectional study in Wales,UK

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted existing health inequalities for ethnic minority groups and those living in more socioeconomically deprived areas in the UK. With higher levels of severe outcomes in these groups, equitable vaccination coverage should be prioritised. The aim of this study was to identify inequalities in coverage of COVID-19 vaccination in Wales, UK and to highlight areas which may benefit from routine enhanced surveillance and targeted interventions.Records within the Wales Immunisation System (WIS) population register were linked to the Welsh Demographic Service Dataset (WDSD) and central list of shielding patients, held within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank. Ethnic group was derived from the 2011 census and over 20 administrative electronic health record (EHR) data sources. Uptake of first dose of any COVID-19 vaccine was analysed over time, with the odds of being vaccinated as at 25th April 2021 by sex, health board of residence, rural/urban classification, deprivation quintile and ethnic group presented. Using logistic regression models, analyses were adjusted for age group, care home resident status, health and social care worker status and shielding status.This study included 1,256,412 individuals aged 50 years and over. Vaccine coverage increased steadily from 8th December 2020 until mid-April 2021. Overall uptake of first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in this group was 92.1%. After adjustment the odds of being vaccinated were lower for individuals who were male, resident in the most deprived areas, resident in an urban area and an ethnic group other than White. The largest inequality was seen between ethnic groups, with the odds of being vaccinated 0.22 (95 %CI 0.21–0.24) if in any Black ethnic group compared to any White ethnic group.Ongoing monitoring of inequity in uptake of vaccinations is required, with better targeted interventions and engagement with deprived and ethnic communities to improve vaccination uptake.     

The effect of breastfeeding on children's educational test scores at nine years of age: results of an Irish cohort study

This retrospective cross-sectional paper examines the relationship between early breastfeeding exposure and children's academic test scores at nine years of age independent of a wide range of possible confounders. The final sample comprised 8226 nine-year-old school children participating in the first wave of the Growing Up in Ireland study. The children were selected through the Irish national school system using a 2-stage sampling method and were representative of the nine-year population. Information relating to breastfeeding initiation and exposure duration was obtained retrospectively at nine years of age via parental recall and children's academic performance was assessed using standardised reading and mathematics tests. Hierarchical linear regression analysis with robust standard errors to control for clustering at the school level was used to quantify the effect of breastfeeding on children's test scores. Propensity score matching was used to compare treatment effects across groups defined by their propensity to breastfeed. In unadjusted analysis, children who were breastfed scored 8.67 percentage points higher on reading and 7.42 percentage points higher on mathematics compared to those who were never breastfed. While the breastfeeding advantage attenuated appreciably when adjusted for a range of child, maternal, socio-economic and socio-environmental characteristics, children who were breastfed continued to enjoy a significant test score advantage of 3.24 (p<0.001) and 2.23 (p<0.001) percentage points on reading and mathematics respectively compared to those who were never breastfed. Any amount of breastfeeding was associated with significantly higher test scores than no exposure, but evidence of a dose-response relationship was weak. The results of the propensity score matching analysis indicated that the test score advantage of breastfed children is robust and that the magnitude of the effect varies across groups defined by their propensity to breastfeed, being largest amongst the most socially disadvantaged and falling to near zero among the most advantaged group.     

我国中小学生超重肥胖流行现状及其社会经济差异

目的分析2005年全国中小学生超重、肥胖流行现状及其社会经济差异，为制定相应的防治策略和干预措施提供科学依据。方法选取全国30个省、直辖市和自治区的7～18岁汉族中小学生，分城乡男女4个群体和好、中、差3类社会经济区。利用中国肥胖工作组（WGOC）制定的BMI标准筛查超重和肥胖。结果2005年7～18岁中小学生肥胖率城男为7．1％，城女为3．6％，乡男为2．8％。乡女为1．9％；超重率城男为13．1％，城女为7．4％，乡男为6．2％，乡女为4．7％。流行率城男〉城女〉乡男〉乡女。城男小学生是肥胖／超重最高发群体，其中省会片流行率已接近发达国家水平。乡村流行率也全面上升，全国已进入全人群儿童肥胖流行阶段。结论学生肥胖流行率受到地区社会经济状况的显著影响。建立规范的监测体系有助于积极防治儿童肥胖。     

Socioeconomic disparity in mortality risks widened across generations during rapid economic development in Hong Kong: an age-period-cohort analysis from 1976 to 2010

Purpose

Hong Kong has been one of the fastest growing postwar economies with substantial decline in mortality risks during the past decades. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether there is a socioeconomic disparity in the trends of mortality risks across generations.

中国7～17岁青春期女生月经初潮较早与血压水平的关系

目的 分析中国7～17岁女生青春期月经初潮较早与血压水平的关系.方法 从2010年全国学生体质与健康调研资料中,选择体测项目(身高、体重、血压等)、月经初潮史等资料记录完整的7～17岁女生作为研究对象,共76 869名.采用概率单位回归法计算女生月经初潮年龄的第10百分位数(P10)概率界值,月经初潮出现年龄小于其对应的界值定义为初潮时间较早,按城乡、年龄进行1∶2匹配未来初潮者,初潮较早者和未来潮者分别作为初潮较早组和未来潮组,收缩压或舒张压大于其对应的同年龄第95百分位数(P95)值定义为“收缩压或舒张压偏高”,收缩压和(或)舒张压大于其对应的同年龄P95值定义为“血压偏高”.采用x2检验分析已来潮和未来潮女生血压偏高检出率的差异,并用多水平模型分析初潮较早与血压水平的关系.结果 76 869名女生身高为(152.2±10.4)cm,BMI为(18.7±3.1) kg/m2,收缩压和舒张压值分别为(103.4±11.0) mm Hg(1 mm Hg =0.133 kPa)和(65.0±9.1) mm Hg,已来潮女生有47 942名(62.4％),未来潮女生有28 927名(37.6％).女生9岁开始出现月经初潮,13岁时有81.5％(7123/8736)的女生已出现月经来潮.11岁组、12岁组、13岁组已来潮女生血压偏高的检出率分别为6.71％ (100/1490)、5.99％(265/4423) 、5.38％(383/7123),明显高于同龄未来潮女生的3.78％ (265/7005)、3.33％ (144/4328)、4.09％(66/1613),差异有统计学意义(x2值分别为25.62、32.36、4.46,P值均＜0.05).初潮较早者年龄在9～11岁,其中11岁组血压偏高、收缩压偏高、舒张压偏高的检出率分别为6.08％ (49/806)、4.84％(39/806)、3.35％ (27/806),明显高于同年龄未来潮组的3.11％ (50/1607)、2.30％(37/1607)、1.43％ (23/1607),差异有统计学意义(x2值分别为12.02、11.32、9.74,P值均＜0.01).多水平模型分析显示,在控制了不同省(自治区、直辖市)和年龄后,初潮较早者血压偏高的检出率仍然高于同龄未来潮者[OR =2.188(95％ CI:1.254～3.818)],其中初潮较早者收缩压和舒张压偏高的检出率均高于同龄未来潮者[OR(95％ CI)值分别为1.925(1.097～3.379)、2.088(1.072 ～4.065)].结论 月经初潮较早可能与血压升高有关联,可能会导致我国儿童青少年血压升高的年龄进一步提前.     

Serum PBDEs and age at menarche in adolescent girls: analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004

Background

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), widely used as flame retardants since the 1970s, have exhibited endocrine disruption in experimental studies. Tetra- to hexa-BDE congeners are estrogenic, while hepta-BDE and 6-OH-BDE-47 are antiestrogenic. Most PBDEs also have antiandrogenic activity. It is not clear, however, whether PBDEs affect human reproduction.

Objectives

The analysis was designed to investigate the potential endocrine disruption of PBDEs on the age at menarche in adolescent girls.

Methods

We analyzed the data from a sample of 271 adolescent girls (age 12–19 years) in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2003–2004. We estimated the associations between individual and total serum BDEs (BDE-28, -47, -99, -100, -153, and -154, lipid adjusted) and mean age at menarche. We also calculated the risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for menarche prior to age 12 years in relation to PBDE exposure.

Results

The median total serum BDE concentration was 44.7 ng/g lipid. Higher serum PBDE concentrations were associated with slightly earlier ages at menarche. Each natural log unit of total BDEs was related to a change of −0.10 (95% CI: −0.33, 0.13) years of age at menarche and a RR of 1.60 (95% CI: 1.12, 2.28) for experiencing menarche before 12 years of age, after adjustment for potential confounders.

Conclusion

These data suggest high concentrations of serum PBDEs during adolescence are associated with a younger age of menarche.