Food insecurity and age at menarche among adolescent girls in Jimma Zone Southwest Ethiopia: a longitudinal study
2011

Food Insecurity and Age at Menarche in Ethiopian Girls

Sample size: 900 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Belachew Tefera, Hadley Craig, Lindstrom David, Getachew Yehenew, Duchateau Luc, Kolsteren Patrick

Primary Institution: Jimma University

Hypothesis

Does food insecurity affect the timing of menarche among adolescent girls in Southwest Ethiopia?

Conclusion

Food insecurity is associated with a delay in age at menarche by one year among girls in the study area.

Supporting Evidence

  • Food insecure girls had menarche one year later than food secure peers.
  • Stunted girls had menarche nearly one year later than non-stunted peers.
  • The median age at menarche was 14 years for the whole sample.

Takeaway

Girls who don't have enough food tend to start their periods later than those who do have enough food.

Methodology

The study used a longitudinal survey design with a semi-parametric frailty model to analyze the effect of food insecurity on age at menarche.

Potential Biases

Potential biases in self-reported data on food insecurity and menarche.

Limitations

The study may not account for all environmental factors influencing menarche.

Participant Demographics

Adolescent girls aged around 14 years from various socio-economic backgrounds in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.019

Confidence Interval

[0.276; 0.892]

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1477-7827-9-125

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