Age at Menarche among School Girls in Madina -Ga East District of Accra

Abstract

Age at menarche is an important indicator of sexual maturity in females. It is known to be modified by both genetic and environmental factors. Downward trends in menarche have been recorded in many countries.. In Ghana, a cross-sectional study has been done about two decades ago that determined the age at menarche among school girls in Kumasi. The determinants of age at menarche onset in the Ghanaian population are unknown. This study was done to determine the mean age at menarche and its determinants among school girls in Madina, Ga East District of the Greater Accra Region.

A cross-sectional study was conducted. Data for the study was obtained through questionnaires administered to 600 school girls in class 5, 6, JHS 1& 2 in four schools chosen at random through balloting. The heights and weights of the girls were also measured. The mean age at menarche was estimated by the recall method and linear regression used to determine the association between ages at menarche and the predictor variables. Mean age at menarche (±SD) was 12.7±1.2 years. In a multivariate regression model, age at menarche was positively associated with birth order and inversely associated with nutritional status (BMI) and socio-economic status. There was an association between the girl‘s age at menarche and that of their mothers. In conclusion, the mean age at menarche estimated for girls was 12.7 ± 1.2 years, a decline from the age of 13.98 years reported two decades ago by Adadevoh and colleagues (Adadevoh et al., 1989). Socioeconomic status was the strongest predictor of age at menarche. Health and sex education targeted at teenage youth needs revision to take into account the lower age at which girls are reaching menarche.