Home Menarche as a predictor of risk-taking behavior in a sample of Hungarian adolescent girls
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Menarche as a predictor of risk-taking behavior in a sample of Hungarian adolescent girls

  • Andrea Varga-Tóth , Ágnes Maróti-Nagy , Gábor Németh and Edit Paulik EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: May 24, 2017

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.

  1. Conflict of interest The authors report no conflict of interest related to this paper.

  2. Funding This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

References

[1] Chodick G, Huerta M, Balicer RD, Davidovitch N, Grotto I. Secular trends in age at menarche, smoking, and oral contraceptive use among Israeli girls. Prev Chronic Dis. 2005;2:A12 http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2005/apr/pdf/04_0063.pdf. Accessed on July 30, 2014.Search in Google Scholar

[2] Tekgül N, Saltik D, Vatansever K. Secular trend of menarche age in an immigrant urban city in Turkey: Izmir. Turk J Pediatr. 2014;56:138–43.Search in Google Scholar

[3] Wattigney WA, Srinivasan SR, Chen W, Greenlund KJ, Berenson GS. Secular trend of earlier onset of menarche with increasing obesity in black and white girls: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Ethn Dis. 1999;9:181–9.Search in Google Scholar

[4] Doktor S. About the months’ event. Orvosi Hetilap. 1891;39:478–494 Hungarian.Search in Google Scholar

[5] In: Bodzsar A, Susanne C, editors. Studies in human biology. Budapest: Eötvös University Press, 1996.Search in Google Scholar

[6] Bodzsar EB. Further contribution to age at menarche of Hungarian girls. Anthropol Közl. 1977;21:81–92 Hungarian.Search in Google Scholar

[7] Bodzsar EB, Zsakai A. Some aspects of secular changes in Hungary over the twentieth century. Coll Antropol. 2002;26:477–84.Search in Google Scholar

[8] Wellings K, Collumbien M, Slaymaker E, Singh S, Hodges Z, Patel D, et al. Sexual behaviour in context: a global perspective. Lancet. 2006;368:1706–28.10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69479-8Search in Google Scholar

[9] Godeau EEA. A profile of young people’s sexual behaviour: findings from the health behaviour in school-aged children study. Entre Nous. 2011;72:24–27.Search in Google Scholar

[10] Currie C, Zanotti C, Morgan A, Currie D, Looze MD, Roberts C. Social determinants of health and well-being among young people. Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study: international report from the 2009/2010 survey (Health Policy for Children and Adolescents, No. 6). Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe. http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/163857/Social-determinants-of-health-and-well-being-among-young-people.pdf 2012. Accessed on January 03, 2014.Search in Google Scholar

[11] Godeau E, Vignes C, Duclos M, Navarro F, Cayla F, Grandjean H. Factors associated with early sexual initiation in girls: French data from the international survey Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC)/WHO. Gynecol Obstet Fertil. 2008;36:176–82 French.10.1016/j.gyobfe.2007.12.006Search in Google Scholar PubMed

[12] Hublet A, Godeau E, Currie C, Nic Gabhainn S, Roberts C, Smith R, et al. Tobacco use: initiation. Inequalities in young people’s health. health behaviour in school-aged children (HBSC): International report from the 2005/2006 survey. Copenhagen: World Health Organization, 2008.Search in Google Scholar

[13] (Hungarian National Core Curriculum) (Hungarian Government Regulation), 66 edn Budapest, Hungary: Magyar Közlöny, 2012 Hungarian.Search in Google Scholar

[14] Belsky J, Steinberg L, Houts RM, Halpern-Felsher BL. NICHD Early Child Care Research Network. The development of reproductive strategy in females: early maternal harshness -> earlier menarche -> increased sexual risk taking. Dev Psychol. 2010;46:120–8.10.1037/a0015549Search in Google Scholar PubMed

[15] Boden JM, Fergusson DM, Horwood LJ. Age of menarche and psychosocial outcomes in a New Zealand birth cohort. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2011;50:132–140 e5.10.1016/j.jaac.2010.11.007Search in Google Scholar PubMed

[16] Downing J, Bellis MA. Early pubertal onset and its relationship with sexual risk taking, substance use and anti-social behaviour: a preliminary cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2009;9:446.10.1186/1471-2458-9-446Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

[17] Kaltiala-Heino R, Koivisto AM, Marttunen M, Frojd S. Pubertal timing and substance use in middle adolescence: a 2-year follow-up study. J Youth Adolesc. 2011;40:1288–301.10.1007/s10964-011-9667-1Search in Google Scholar PubMed

[18] Marino JL, Skinner SR, Doherty DA, Rosenthal SL, Cooper Robbins SC, Cannon J, et al. Age at menarche and age at first sexual intercourse: a prospective cohort study. Pediatrics. 2013;132:1028–36.10.1542/peds.2012-3634Search in Google Scholar PubMed

[19] Chumlea WC, Schubert CM, Roche AF, Kulin HE, Lee PA, Himes JH, et al. Age at menarche and racial comparisons in US girls. Pediatrics. 2003;111:110–3.10.1542/peds.111.1.110Search in Google Scholar PubMed

[20] Gaudineau A, Ehlinger V, Vayssiere C, Jouret B, Arnaud C, Godeau E. Factors associated with early menarche: results from the French Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. BMC Public Health. 2010;10:175.10.1186/1471-2458-10-175Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

[21] Glynn JR, Kayuni N, Floyd S, Banda E, Francis-Chizororo M, Tanton C, et al. Age at menarche, schooling, and sexual debut in northern Malawi. PLoS One. 2010;5:e15334.10.1371/journal.pone.0015334Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

[22] Jean RT, Wilkinson AV, Spitz MR, Prokhorov A, Bondy M, Forman MR. Psychosocial risk and correlates of early menarche in Mexican-American girls. Am J Epidemiol. 2011;173:1203–10.10.1093/aje/kwq498Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

[23] Rada C. Sexual behaviour and sexual and reproductive health education: a cross-sectional study in Romania. Reproductive Health. 2014;11:48 http://www.reproductive-health-journal.com/content/11/1/48. Accessed on May 27, 201510.1186/1742-4755-11-48Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

[24] Kapamadzija A, Vejnovic T, Novakov Mikic A, Vukelic J, Kopitovic V, Bjelica A. Sexual knowledge, attitudes and practice of adolescents in Northern Serbia – Are we making any progress? Follow-up study 2000–2008. J Reproduktionsmed Endokrinol. 2010;7(Special Issue 1):106–11.Search in Google Scholar

[25] Mrug S, Elliott MN, Davies S, Tortolero SR, Cuccaro P, Schuster MA. Early puberty, negative peer influence, and problem behaviors in adolescent girls. Pediatrics. 2014;33:7–14.10.1542/peds.2013-0628Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

[26] Diaz-Franco EC, Lira-Plascencia J, Watty-Martinez A, Acosta-Bourne M. The pregnant adolescent: information, beliefs and attitudes toward sexuality. Ginecol Obstet Mex. 2013;81:693–9 Spanish.Search in Google Scholar

[27] Fábián R, Simich R. Existing and functioning model programs, and the evaluation of the sex-education in schools. Budapest: National Institute for Health Development, 2006 Hungarian.Search in Google Scholar

[28] WHO Regional Office for Europe and BZgA. Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe. A framework for policy makers, educational and health authorities and specialists. Federal Centre for Health Education, BZgA Cologne 2010.Search in Google Scholar

Received: 2016-11-01
Accepted: 2017-02-12
Published Online: 2017-05-24

©2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Downloaded on 6.10.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/ijamh-2016-0135/html
Scroll to top button