Age at menarche as an indicator of the socioeconomic situation of rural girls in Poland in 1967, 1977, and 1987.

Abstract

Village girls, 9.5-18.5 years of age, inhabiting various regions of Poland, were surveyed in 1967 (n = 7,886), 1977 (n = 7,771), and 1987 (n = 11,479). Based on the source of income of the families, three groups were identified: farmers, farmer-workers, and nonfarmers. The girls were also divided on the basis of the number of children in the family and education of their fathers. In all three surveys, the earliest age at menarche was observed in girls from the nonfarmer group and the latest in girls from the farmer group. In 1987 the ages at menarche were 13.27 ± 0.03 years and 13.58 ± 0.04 years, respectively. The rapid acceleration of menarcheal age (0.64 year) between 1967 and 1977 was halted, and perhaps, reversed from 1977 to 1987 (-0.06 year), reflecting the severe social and economic crisis in Poland. The later menarcheal ages observed in the last decade occur mainly among girls from families with four and five children. Girls from better educated rural families were more affected by the crisis than girls from families in which fathers have only an elementary or vocational training education. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.