ASSOCIATION BETWEEN AGE AT MENARCHE, HEIGHT AND BODY MASS INDEX WITH ANEMIA IN MEXICAN ADOLESCENT GIRLS.

  • Ana Carla Cepeda López (Supervisor)
  • Arli G. Zarate-Ortiz (Supervisor)
  • Alida Melse-Boonstra (Supervisor)

    Student thesis: Master's Thesis

    Abstract

    Introduction: The association between age at menarche (AM) with anemia and anthropometric indicators in adolescent girls is an important area of study that needs attention. Aim: the main objective of this study was to evaluate the potential association between AM with anemia in Mexican adolescent girls from public middle and high schools in Monterrey, taking HAZ and BAZ by WHO z-score criteria into account. Methods: This research is part of the cross-sectional study of “The double burden of malnutrition in adolescent girls”. There were 347 adolescent girls from 12 to 19 years of age in this study, attending public schools in Santa Catarina and Monterrey, Mexico. To measure anemia, the biomarker used was capillary hemoglobin (Hb). The anthropometrics measures were the height (m) and BMI (kg/m 2 ). Results: The prevalence of anemia was 17.9%, and the variation in AM with anemic- group was not statistically significant different compare to non-anemic counterpart (p=0.381). The tendency to anemia was 1.258 (95%CI; 0.740, 2.139) in adolescents with early AM and 1.709 (95%CI; 0.694, 4.203) for late AM when compared to normal-AM, the trend was not statistically significant. Probably, the study finds a negative association between overweight (PR= 0.824, 95%CI 0.337, 2.011) and obese (PR= 0.898, 95%CI 0.152, 5.285) with anemia, the results also were not statistically significant. In addition, we found a correlation between AM and BMI -0.126 (p < 0.05). We show that the trend of anemia was 1.809 (95%CI; 0.671, 4.878) in adolescents with stunting when compared to normal-HAZ group, the association also was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The results presented to increase the evidence that possibly there is a positive association between early and late menarche with anemia in Mexican adolescent girls. However, future cohort studies are necessary to find out the association between early and late menarche with anemia in Mexican adolescent girls.
    Date of Award2019
    Original languageEnglish
    Awarding Institution
    • Wageningen University & Research

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