Abstract
Background
The age at the time of the first sexual intercourse is declining, and the prevalence of smoking is increasing in adolescent girls in developed countries.
Objective
To assess the relationship between menarche and tobacco smoking and sexual activity in adolescent girls.
Subjects
Girls between 14 and 18 years, attending primary or secondary school.
Methods
Socio-demographic characteristics (age, living place, educational level of parents, self-estimated financial background), onset and parameters of periods, and risk behaviors (smoking, sexual activity) were measured by self-administered questionnaires. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between tobacco use and sexual activity and socio-demographic characteristics, menarche and presence of other risk behaviors.
Results
Adolescent girls who had an earlier onset of their periods were about twice as likely to smoke as girls with later onset of their first period [odds ratio (OR): 2.28, confidence interval (CI): 1.14–4.55]. Being sexually active meant more than 7-fold odds of being a regular tobacco user (OR: 7.24, CI: 4.39–11.94). Regarding sexual activity, increasing age (OR: 4.42, CI: 3.45–5.67) and regular smoking (OR: 7.07, CI: 4.24–11.80) increased, while poor financial status decreased (OR: 0.35, CI: 0.13–0.97) the odds of being sexually active.
Conclusion
In light of these findings, the reconsideration of health and sexual education in Hungary is needed. Implementation of these programs at an earlier age should be desirable to avoid unfavorable consequences, such as early pregnancy.
Conflict of interest The authors report no conflict of interest related to this paper.
Funding This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
References
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Articles in the same Issue
- Editorial
- Infectious mononucleosis: be aware of its lethality!
- Original Articles
- Is there a link between self-perceived stress and physical activity levels in Scottish adolescents?
- Does verruca vulgaris affect social anxiety and self-esteem in adolescents?
- Smart phone usage and addiction among dental students in Saudi Arabia: a cross sectional study
- Review
- Health policy making for street children: challenges and strategies
- Original Articles
- Menarche as a predictor of risk-taking behavior in a sample of Hungarian adolescent girls
- Level of Internet use among Greek adolescents with type 1 diabetes
- Clinical outcomes of an inpatient pediatric obesity treatment program in the USA
- Obesity prevalence and contributing factors among adolescents in secondary schools in Pemagatshel district, Bhutan
- Contraception usage among young adult men of a Nigerian university
- Monitoring screen use: a qualitative exploration of family strategies in Swiss homes
- Proposed model for the cultural adaptation of an Internet-based depression prevention intervention (CATCH-IT) for Arab adolescents
- Physical fitness and obesity levels during an academic year followed by summer holidays: an issue of insufficient time for physical activity
- Differences in physical activity, eating habits and risk of obesity among Kuwaiti adolescent boys and girls: a population-based study
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