AGE AT MENARCHE AND ITS BIOSOCIAL CORRELATES IN ADOLESCENTS OF MAZANDARAN PROVINCE IN 2017

The age at which the first menstrual period occurs (menarche) is affected by many environmental and genetic factors. The purpose of this study was to determine the age at menarche and its relationship with some biosocial variables. This study was a descriptive-correlational study on 630 middle school students (grade 7-9) in Mazandaran province. Students were selected using randomized multistage cluster sampling. Stadiometer, weight scale, demographic and socioeconomic status questionnaires were used to data collection. Data analysis was performed using SPSS23 software at a significance level of 0.05. The mean age at menarche in adolescent girls was 11.77 ± 1.05 years. The lowest and highest age of menarche was 8.33 and 14.33 years, respectively. The highest and lowest frequency of the start of the menarche was summer (49%) and winter (8%) respectively. The menarcheal age of the girls was correlated with mother’s age at menarche and physical activity directly and body mass index, socioeconomic status and weight inversely. Mean age at menarche in this study was reduced compared to the previous research in adolescent girls Mazandaran cities and the biosocial factors associated with the age of menarche were mother’s age at menarche, physical activity and body mass index as predictor variables, respectively.