Urban Girls Research Articles

Gender-based eating norms, the family environment and food intake among Costa Rican adolescents.

To examine the association between family environment variables (parenting styles, family meal atmosphere), gender-based stereotypes and food intake in Latin American adolescents. Structural equation modelling applied to cross-sectional data, 2017. Urban and rural sites of San José, Costa Rica. n 813; 13-18 years old. Data suggest direct associations between gender-based stereotypes and intake of fruits and vegetables (FV) (β = 0·20, P < 0·05), unhealthy foods (fast food (FF)) (β = -0·24, P < 0·01) and ultra-processed foods (β = -0·15, P < 0·05) among urban girls; intake of legumes among rural girls (β = 0·16, P < 0·05) and intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) among rural boys (β = 0·22, P < 0·05). Family meal atmosphere was associated with legume intake (β = 0·19, P <·05) among rural girls. Authoritative parenting style was associated with FV intake (β = 0·23, P < 0·05) among urban boys and FF intake (β = 0·17, P < 0·05) among urban girls. Authoritarian parenting style was associated with FV consumption (β = 0·19, P < 0·05) among rural boys, and with SSB and FF consumption (β = 0·21, P < 0·05; β = 0·14, P < 0·05, respectively) among urban girls. Findings are the first to describe the complex family environment and gender-based stereotypes within the context of a Latin American country. They emphasise the need for culturally relevant measurements to characterise the sociocultural context in which parent-adolescent dyads socialise and influence food consumption.

Perception of domestic violence among rural women in Kuje

Domestic violence has become a global social problem affecting women and girls across different socio-demographics and culture. Often times a greater attention is paid to the experiences of urban women and girls to the detriment of their counter parts in rural areas who constituted major victims.The study explored the experiences, awareness and perception of domestic violence among rural women in Kuje, Nigeria. A total of 130 respondents were selected using stratified and simple random sampling technique. In-depth interview was conducted on 13 women and market leaders across Kuje.The findings revealed that 43.8% of the respondents fall within 30 years and above age bracket, 26.9% had non-formal education, 67.7% were Christians, while 56.2 % were married A total of 97.7% of the respondents were aware of domestic violence, while 43.8% linked domestic violence to early marriage. There is a significant relationship between level of education and perception of what constituted domestic violence among the respondents. Qualitative data revealed that culture and family affected expectations and treatment of women in rural Nigeria.The study concluded that domestic violence affects women and girl child negatively, and recommended that a more vigorous advocacy campaign against it should be intensified through mass media, family, community and religious leaders. Government should intensify efforts on free and compulsory education to empower the populace and reduce poverty among families.

Age at menarche in urban school-going girls: association between socio-economic status, BMI and physical activity

Background: Menarche, one of the most reliable markers of pubertal maturity, is a result of a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Since accelerated pubertal development is an important determinant of prognostic disease risk, especially in developing countries, attention must be focused on this important public health aspect. Methods: Total 200 school-going girls aged between 10-15 years studying in municipal, public-funded and private schools in Mumbai were included in the study based on the inclusion criteria of having attained menarche only in the last three months. Sociodemographic and anthropometric details were collected using a structured schedule and physical activity data was collected using the physical activity questionnaire for older children and adolescents.Results: Socioeconomic status and family size were found to significantly influence the age of onset of menarche (p&lt;0.001). Anthropometric indices of height, weight and BMI were found to have significant negative correlations indicating that taller, heavier girls reached menarche earlier than their shorter and lighter peers (p&lt;0.000). Level of physical activity was also found to be an important contributing factor to age at menarche such that a higher level of physical activity was observed in girls with higher mean menarcheal age (p&lt;0.000). Conclusions: Age at menarche was found to be influenced by factors such as socioeconomic status, BMI and physical activity.

Machine Learning Analysis of Non-Marital Sexual Violence in India

Background: Non-marital sexual violence (NMSV) in India is a health and human rights concern that disproportionately affects adolescents, is under-reported, and not well understood or addressed in the country. Machine learning techniques can explore low prevalence data to offer insight into identification of factors associated with NMSV. Methods: We applied machine learning methods to retrospective cross-sectional data from India’s nationally-representative National Family Health Survey 4, a demographic and health study conducted in 2015-16, which offers 4000+ variables as potential independent variables. We used Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (lasso) and L-1 regularized logistic regression models as well as L2 regularized logistic regression or ridge models; and conducted a thematic analysis of variables generated from an iterative series of regularized models. Findings: Thematic analysis of regularized models highlight that exposure to violence and attitudes accepting of violence were most predictive of NMSV, and poor sexual and reproductive health knowledge second most predictive. After these, indicators largely related to resources and autonomy (e.g., income generating, freedom of movement, media access) were more likely to have experienced NMSV, but in a context of social marginalization (e.g., poorer, rural, marginalized caste). Exploratory analysis with the subsample of adolescents 15-19 years, a population with higher representation of recent NMSV, yielded similar findings, but showed higher risk for NMSV among urban girls from wealthy households. Interpretation: Upwardly mobile women and girls with greater freedom of movement, but otherwise vulnerable due to young age or circumstances, are more likely to have experienced NMSV. Funding Statement: This study was funded under a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Grant number OPP1179208; PI: Anita Raj). Declaration of Interests: None to declare.

Reproductive Health Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice among Adolescent Girls in Urban and Rural Areas of Bangladesh

This study aims at assessing the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) concerning reproductive health (RH) among adolescent college-going girls in the urban and rural areas of Chittagong District, Bangladesh. A college-based cross-sectional study was conducted among college-going girls (N = 792) of four colleges attending Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) classes (eleven/twelve classes) in Chittagong District. Data were collected using a structured and self-administered questionnaire. Chi-square (χ2) and independent-samples t-test were conducted to make the comparison between urban and rural participants. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 24.0. The authors’ interpretation of the findings was also informed by anthropological as well as qualitative considerations. Mothers were reported to be the key informants of reproductive health for the adolescent girls of both urban and rural areas. Besides, urban respondents were more likely than rural respondents (p &lt; .001) to feel comfortable during the discussion on RH with mother/sister/relative; to communicate frequently with their mothers; to discuss RH issues regularly; to have prior knowledge on menstruation. Moreover, this study also found significant differences (p &lt; .05) regarding most of the items addressing RH knowledge, attitude, and practice between adolescent girls in urban and rural areas of Bangladesh due to the existing socio-cultural disparities between the areas of residence.

A hospital-based comparative study of clinical profile of polycystic ovarian syndrome in rural versus urban adolescent girls

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder which is associated with increased risk of development of type 2 diabetes, hypertension and gynaecological cancers in later life. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the difference in the prevalence of PCOS in urban and rural north Indian adolescent girls aged 12–19 years. Materials and Methods: Fifty each urban and rural adolescent girls aged between 12 and 19 years presenting to the Gynaecology Outpatient Department with varied menstrual complaints were included in the study. Clinical history, menstrual history, chief complaints, sociodemographic history and history of physical activity were taken. Clinical examination and anthropometric measurements were taken. Ultrasonography for polycystic ovaries was done. Biochemical examination was also done. Results: The prevalence of PCOS symptoms was higher in urban group than in rural group. The environmental determinants of PCOS, i.e., obesity, an obesogenic diet and lack of physical activity, were more prevalent in urban group than rural group. Conclusion: Modification of environmental factors in both urban and rural populations at this younger age group can lead to overall reduction in the prevalence of PCOS and long-term complication associated with it like type 2 diabetes mellitus, endometrial cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Creation of Komsomol Cafés in 1960s

This article, using extensive archival material, examines the history of the emergence of youth cafés, provides an analysis of the preconditions and historical conditions in which they were created, and highlights the problems that they had to overcome on their way. During the 1960s youth cafés was created throughout the country on the initiative of Komsomol members. There were places where one could have an interesting and fun time listening to jazz over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, dancing a popular twist, meeting poets and musicians and artists, or just going an impromptu stage to read poems. The youth café became a symbol of the 1960s. The feeling of freedom was first felt by young people who began to actively explore Western culture and lifestyle. Harsh administrative measures and punishments proved to be ineffective. This is how the idea of creating the first youth club, corresponding to the interests and demands of young people, arose, but under the supervision of an “elder brother” in the form of the Komsomol. Urban young boys and girls were attracted by the democratic atmosphere of the café, which the sixtiers would later write about more than once. In the mid-1960s this interesting experience was relocated to the countryside, but this was less successful. Even in large cities, not many cafés survived until the mid-1970s, faced with enough problems.

Secular Trends in Height, Body Mass and Mean Menarche Age in Romanian Children and Adolescents, 1936-2016.

Secular trends in anthropometric parameters have been documented in most European countries, but no data is available regarding Romanian. The aim of the study was to calculate secular trend in height, body mass and mean menarche age for Romanian children and adolescents. Methods: A secondary data analysis was performed using ten data sets for urban and eight data sets for rural boys and girls, age 5–15 years, covering 80 years (1936 to 2016). Secular trend in height (cm/decade), body mass(kg/decade) and mean menarche age (years) were calculated. Results: Overall, there was a positive secular trend for height in both genders, which parallels the gross domestic product (GDP)/capita difference, more pronounced in boys, across all age-groups, with a maximum for 15 years-old boys (~3 cm/decade) and 13 years-old girls (~2 cm/decade). Body mass trend was also positive, more accentuated in the rural population. Mean age at menarche was higher in rural compared to urban girls, had a negative trend with the disappearance of the difference in the latest available data set (2013). Conclusion: In summary, an overall positive and ongoing secular trend in height and body mass was documented in Romanian children and adolescents, especially for the pubertal age-range, in concordance to other western countries, but out of phase by approximately 20 years.

Effectiveness of a Planned Teaching Programme to Educate Adolescent Girls in the Avoidance and Dealing with Iron Deficiency Anaemia in a Selected School of Bilaspur District

Background: Nowadays young adolescents face many problems because of their lifestyle modifications such as eating junk foods, fast foods, snacking, and skipping meals. Some adolescents are undernourished due to a lack of awareness regarding dietary iron and poor socioeconomic status. These are quite common among urban adolescent girls. Iron deficiency anaemia is the most prevalent nutritional disorder in the world today. Iron is a necessary mineral for body function and good health. A lack of iron in the blood can lead to iron deficiency anaemia, which is a very common nutritional deficiency among children and adolescents. Objective: This study is aimed to analyse the effectiveness of a planned teaching programme to educate adolescent girls in the prevention and management of iron deficiency anaemia in a selected school of Bilaspur district. Method: Convenient sampling technique and structured questionnaire were used in the study. Result and Conclusion: The findings revealed that about 38% of the adolescent girls belonged to the age group of 14.1-15 years, 85% belonged to the Hindu religion, 48% had family income &gt; 30,000 INR, 63% belonged to nuclear families, fathers of 60% of the adolescent girls were government employees, mothers of 48% of the adolescent girls were housewives, 78% of the adolescent girls belonged to urban areas, and 48% of the adolescent girls had got the information through mass media. The distribution of the adolescent girls among the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th standards was found to be equal (25% each). The assessment of the overall pre-test knowledge level of adolescent girls shows that 3% had good knowledge, 86% had average knowledge, and 11% had below-average knowledge.

Value conflict among adolescents in relation to modernization

Different choices and actions are rooted in values which define what an individual considers good or beneficial to his well being. The necessity of making choices cause conflict and it is very natural, it arises when two or more incompatible goals are active at the same time. Modern era is characterized by technological development and economic prosperity on one hand and cut-throat competition and value erosion on the other. This paradoxical situation affects adolescent’s ability to decide between sets of values which in turns may or may not associated with value conflict. The present study is an attempt to investigate the relationship between adolescents’ attitude towards modernization and extent of value conflict among them. This study also reveals the contribution of modernization as a determinant in value conflict in terms of gender and locale. For the present study a sample of 400 adolescents was taken from six government and private colleges situated in urban and rural areas of Ludhiana district. Value conflict scale by Bhardwaj and Comprehensive Modernization Inventory by Ahluwalia and Kalia were used to collect the data. Results revealed that attitude of adolescents was significantly negatively correlated with value conflict among rural and urban girls and boys. On the basis of regression analysis there was a significant positive contribution of different dimensions of modernization on positive value assumption among adolescents. Adolescents with positive attitude towards different aspects of modernization had greater inclination towards positive values.

Trends of low physical activity among Iranian adolescents across urban and rural areas during 2006\u20132011

It is well documented that physical inactivity is related to weight gain and a whole host of chronic diseases. This study investigated trends of low physical activity among Iranian adolescents in urban and rural areas between 2006–2011. A total of 12,178 adolescents, aged between 15 and 19 years, participated in National Surveys of Risk Factors for Non-Communicable Diseases. Data on physical activity was obtained using the global physical activity questionnaire. A complex sample survey and multinomial logistic regression were used to model physical activity levels. The percentage of adolescents who had low levels of physical activity increased from 2006 to 2011 in both urban and rural areas. Low and moderate levels of physical activity were lower in rural girls as compared with urban girls, with a prevalence ratio of 0.59 (95% CI 0.47–0.74) and 0.59 (95% CI 0.47–0.74), respectively. The corresponding values for boys residing in rural areas compared with boys in urban areas were 0.56 (95% CI 0.43–0.75) and 0.60 (95% CI 0.48–0.74), respectively. The adolescents' lifestyles showed an increasing trend for physical inactivity in both genders; however, in rural areas, only girls had a rising affinity for a sedentary lifestyle throughout the 2006–2011 years.

Comparison of urban and rural groups of school-age children of the Tuva Republic according to Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis in the context of «transformation» of traditional lifestyle

This study is concerned with the assessment of body composition indicators for urban and rural schoolchil-dren (related to the same adaptive type) of the Republic of Tuva in the context of «transformation» of the tradi-tional lifestyle. Comprehensive surveys of the population in this region were started by anthropologists back in the 1970s; therefore, this research should be considered as a continuation of the work on the dynamics of adaptation processes among the indigenous population in the light of changes of the environmental factors, primarily socio-economic and cultural. Comparison of morphological characteristics and growth rates of urban and rural school-children is particularly interesting, as changes in the lifestyle of the population during the transition to urban condi-tions entail significant increase in anthropometric indicators, which is especially pronounced in comparison with children of the same age living in less urbanized environment. As such, the relevance of this study is determined by the necessity to assess the degree of adaptation of those modern indigenous groups of the Tuva Republic, which are at the transitional stage from one ecological niche to another. Comparative anthropo-ecological studies have been carried out according to the standard morpho-physiological program in two groups of school-age chil-dren: the first one was examined in the city of Kyzyl (406 individuals) in 2018, and the second one in the Todzhin-sky kozhuun (district) of the Tuva Republic (435 individuals) in 2019. Schoolchildren examined in the capital of the republic (as the place of their birth and residence) can be classified as conditionally urban. This is the first genera-tion born within or moved to the city with parents from various rural areas of the steppe zone of the republic. A large number of internal migrants from other areas have also been found in the villages of Todzha, where previ-ously Todzhan Tuvans represented the ethnic majority. In this study, we assessed the overall body dimensions and body composition indices, acquired using the Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis. The obtained results show that there are virtually no significant differences between the anthropometric data from urban and rural groups of schoolchildren by overall dimensions and body composition across the entire age range. The observed differen-tiation at individual age points is more likely related to sample specifics. The age of menarche is not different in urban and rural groups: for urban girls it is 13.1 years, for rural girls — 13.0 years. The physical characteristics of schoolchildren indicate a relatively small shift in socio-economic conditions in regions with different extent of ur-banization. The differences are smoothed by the gradual withdrawal of the traditional way of life (stockbreeding), which is more intense among the indigenous groups of Siberia. Thus, our interim results of anthropo-ecological study conducted in Tuva Republic show significant desadaptive changes among the local indigenous population, both within the rural and the emerging urban communities.

Spatial performances of gender, Islam and the “secular”: Muslim girls’ playing football in Dutch public playgrounds

ABSTRACT There is a large focus on the dominant discourses that frame Muslim women as “other” in European public spaces, but less research on the spatial practices of Muslim women themselves. Through an ethnographic case-study of urban girls’ football, this article provides new insights in research on gender and Islam in Europe, as it shows that Muslim girls, through playing football, contest the normative constructions of Dutch public space as masculine, white and secular. The article approaches playing football as spatial performance, and takes into account those public spaces that are not explicitly religious, indeed a domain much less studied in research on Islam and gender in Europe. I argue that it is important in research on Islam, gender and public space to not only focus on explicit religious public practices, but also on practices that are not explicitly religious or Islamic, as they emphasize the potential for resistance.

Nutritional Status and Nutrition-Related knowledge Among Urban Adolescent Girls in Bangladesh

Background Nutritional status of adolescent girls is very crucial for their health and has a great impact on the quality of the next generation. The present study aimed to investigate the nutritional status and nutrition-related knowledge among urban adolescent girls in Bangladesh. Methods A cross-sectional study involving a total 500 of adolescent girls (aged 10-19) from four schools and colleges in Dhaka city. Socio-demographic, anthropometric and nutrition-related information was collected by semi-structured questionnaires. In addition, 24 hours food recall and food frequency questionnaire was used to assess the dietary intake. Results The ages of the early adolescent and late adolescent girls yrs (Mean ± SD) were 12±1 and 17±1 respectively. The mean (±SD) BMI of the early adolescent and late adolescent was 21.12±0.32 and 22.10±3.89 correspondingly. Among the early adolescent girls, the nutritional knowledge score was about 62% (moderate), 87% had a positive attitude and 72% had good practices in their daily lives. Whereas among the late adolescent girls, the nutritional knowledge score was about 57% (moderate), 90% showed a positive attitude and 61% had good practices. Among the subject, the average calorie intake was 1491 kcal, which was 24% lower than RDA. The Carbohydrate intake was lower than the RDA but the protein and fat intake was higher than the RDA. Conclusions The dietary intake of adolescent girls was found inadequate. Nutrition education and strong motivation can create positive changes in dietary intake. To understand the real phenomena of dietary intake of adolescent girls, further study is necessary to conduct with a large sample size.

The influence of socioeconomic status on menarcheal age among Chinese school-age girls in Tianjin, China.

The association between socioeconomic status and the onset age of menarche is still not conclusive. This cross-sectional study was conducted among primary and middle school girls aged 7 to 16years old in Tianjin, China, to explore the distribution of menarcheal age and its association with socioeconomic status. A self-designed structured questionnaire was completed by students and their parents to collect information on socioeconomic status (i.e., family income, parental education level, living residence), menarcheal status, and covariates (weight status of girls and their parents, sleeping hours per day, physical activity). Information on menarcheal status included whether or not menarche had occurred (Yes/No) and the exact age at menarche. Linear regression analysis was used to explore the association between socioeconomic status and menarcheal age before and after covariate adjustment. Among 1485 eligible girls with complete information, 445 had experienced menarche, with an overall menarche rate of 30%. The mean age at menarche was 12.9years (95% confidence interval 12.8-13.0). Urban girls experienced menarche earlier than rural girls did (12.1years vs. 13.5years). Univariate analysis showed that urban residence and higher parental education were associated with earlier onset of menarche. After covariate adjustment, the significance still existed. However, after adjusting further for residence, the significant association with the parental education disappeared. Only urban residence was still significantly associated, even after further adjustment for parental education and family income, with adjusted regression coefficients (95% confidence interval) of - 1.087 (- 1.340,-0.834), indicating that the onset age of menarche among urban girls was 1.087years (0.834, 1.340) younger than that among rural girls. Family income was not related to the onset age of menarche in any analyses.Conclusion: Urban-rural differences played a more important role in the early onset of menarche than socioeconomic differences between families. What is Known: • The age at menarche varies by race and country, but the global trend is towards earlier onset as a result of changes in nutrition, family structure, socioeconomic status, and physical condition. What is New: • Urban girls experienced menarche earlier than rural girls, but this urban-rural difference could not be explained by family income, parental education, weight status of the participants and their parents, participants' physical exercise and sleeping hours. • Higher parental education was associated with earlier onset of menarche, but this association disappeared after adjustment for living residence.

Perceived neighborhood violence and crime, emotion regulation, and PTSD symptoms among justice-involved, urban African-American adolescent girls.

African-American adolescent girls in urban areas are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system, and they are also disproportionately impacted by neighborhood violence and crime (NVC), which has been shown to positively associate with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Guided by an ecological (individual X context) perspective, the present study aimed to examine the main and interactive effects of perceived NVC and emotion regulation (ER) strategies in a sample of justice-involved, urban African-American adolescent girls (n = 85) following their release from detention centers. We investigated this research question longitudinally. Multiple linear regression models were conducted. PTSD symptoms at 3 months after release was used as the outcome variable, predicted by ER strategies, perceived NVC, and their interactions before release, controlling for PTSD symptoms and a brief screening of trauma events assessed beforen release. Simple slope analysis was used to probe significant interaction terms. The main effects of perceived NVC and dysfunctional ER were significant. A significant interaction effect was found between perceived NVC and internal dysfunction ER at baseline to predict PTSD symptoms at 3 months after release. High levels of internal dysfunctional ER intensified the positive association of baseline perceived NVC and PTSD symptoms. Justice-involved African-American adolescent girls who report high NVC and use dysfunctional ER strategies are particularly vulnerable to the development of PTSD symptoms. Interventions with this population may benefit from targeting dysfunctional ER strategies to mitigate or prevent neighborhood violence related PTSD symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The Predictors of Obesity among Urban Girls and Boys Aged 8-10 Years-A Cross-Sectional Study in North-Western Poland.

Background: Children worldwide are increasingly becoming overweight and obese and developing related health problems, including hypertension, lipid disorders, abnormal glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes, and secondary psychological disorders. The aim of the study was to determine sociodemographic risk factors that predict an increase in BMI in children at an early school age. Material and method: The study covered 4972 children aged 8–10 years, including boys (N = 2461) and girls (N = 2511). Measurements of basic anthropometric indicators were used, such as body height, body weight, body composition, and physical fitness. The criteria developed by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) were adopted. Sociodemographic features were analyzed based on a diagnostic survey. IBM SPSS Statistics v.25 (Mineral Midrange SA, Warsaw, Poland) and IBM SPSS Amos software (Mineral Midrange SA, Warsaw, Poland) were used to perform descriptive statistics, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Pearson′s chi-square test, Student’s t-test, and the Mann-Whitney U test. The statistical significance index was assumed to be p < 0.05, while p < 0.01 was taken as an indicator of a trend which was not completely statistically significant. Results: Both the children and their parents had mainly moderate BMI. A total of 78.7% of children were within the weight norm. Among girls, extreme obesity was two times more frequent than extreme underweight. The examined boys were significantly taller, heavier, and had a higher BMI than girls. There were significant differences between boys and girls in BMI; however, gender alone accounted for less than 1% variance. The influence of parents′ characteristics was much greater, increasing the explained variance to 10%. Body weight of mothers and fathers (p < 0.001), mother′s height (p < 0.01) and both parents′ level of education (p < 0.001) were detected as significant predictors of children’s BMI. Conclusions: The analysis of selected sociodemographic and health factors determining the BMI of the child population indicates the need for preventive action and health promotion both among children and their parents.

Nutritional Status of Adolescent Girls in Bangladesh: A Review Paper Focusing on Regional and Institutional Variations

Adolescence is the most important period of life for overall growth and development. Nutritional deficiency in this period leads to poor nutritional status such as stunting, wasting, underweight and anemia. As for girls, they are the most vulnerable group for malnutrition and having major consequences since they will be mothers in future. The objective of this paper is to review the nutritional status of adolescent girls at different regional and institutional level. From the study we found that about 66% of the adolescent girls were suffering from underweight all over the country along with 51.2% stunting and 20.3% wasting. A comparison between urban and rural girl’s nutrition with same economic condition was conducted. The prevalence of underweight was found 61.7% in urban area and 42.3% in rural area. But severe thinness was 22.4% among urban girls where it was 10.3% among rural girls. There has been evidence that girls with frequent occurrence of illness have shown poor nutritional status and vice versa. The prevalence of fever and jaundice were twice as high in underweight girls (66.7%) as girls with normal weight (33.3%). Periodic food shortage, economic status, age, geographical location, poor knowledge and health care facilities were some of the factors identified that contribute to the poor nutritional status. Improved nutritional services and policies concerning adolescent nutrition as their major focus may play an important role in improving the nutritional status of adolescent girls in Bangladesh.

Menstrual Morbidities, Menstrual Hygiene, Cultural Practices during Menstruation, and WASH Practices at Schools in Adolescent Girls of North Karnataka, India: A Cross-Sectional Prospective Study.

Background Issues of menstrual morbidities, menstrual hygiene, and cultural practices are rarely discussed by adolescents. The burden of menstruation and cultural practices which the adolescent girls have to face has been less quantified. This study aims to assess the issues related to menstruation in school girls. Method A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted on 1016 school-going adolescent girls in January 2020. A questionnaire in English and in Kannada was distributed to girls of class 8–12 of ages between 10 and 19 years. Results 70.5% of the girls attained menarche by 12 to 14.9 years, 37.2% of the girls had their periods every 28–34 days, and 12.2% of the girls said they have heavy periods. 61.95% of the girls had dysmenorrheal, and 9.7% of the girls said that they required medications for the pain. 70.7% of the girls were using commercial sanitary napkins, 12.7% were using cloth, and 15.3% were using both. 55.5% of the girls who were using cloth as an absorbent were not drying the cloth in sunlight. 57.1% of the girls were washing their genitals more than 2 times a day. 93.8% were having bath during menses and 87.2% were using soap along with water. 37.7% of the girls disposed their pads by burning them, 50.8% of then disposed them in the dust bin, and 4.9% of them buried them. 8.6% of the girls said that they remained completely absent from school during periods. 17.85% said that they remained absent for a day. 53.4% of the respondents said that they have difficulty in concentrating at school. 76.1% said that they had adequate water and sanitation facilities at school. 22.3% said that there was adequate facility to change their pads at school. 73.2% said that they could get a spare pad at school. 43.3% of the girls said they avoided cultural functions during their periods, and 38.5% said that they avoided religious ceremonies and practices during their periods. 8.7% of the girls were made to sit outside the house during their periods. The girls from rural areas had poorer hygienic habits, in comparison to the urban girls. Cultural restrictions such as sitting outside the house during menstruation and restricting play were more in the rural girls than the urban girls. Conclusion Menstrual morbidities, menstrual hygiene management, and cultural beliefs all play a role in school absenteeism in adolescent girls. Improvement of facilities at school and conducting awareness programs can help adolescent girls to attend schools.

Five-year change in body mass index category of childhood and the establishment of an obesity prediction model

The prevalence of childhood obesity in China has recently become increasingly severe, and intervention measures are needed to stop its growth. Currently, there is a lack of assessment and prediction methods for childhood obesity. We develop a predictive model that uses currently measured predictors [gender, age, urban/rural, height and body mass index (BMI)] to quantify children’s probabilities of belonging to one of four BMI category 5 years later and identify the high-risk group for possible intervention. A total of 88,980 students underwent a routine standard physical examination and were reexamined 5 years later to complete the study. The full model shows that boys, urban residence and height have positive effects and that age has a negative effect on transition to the overweight or obese category along with significant BMI effects. Our model correctly predicts BMI categories 5 years later for 70% of the students. From 2018 to 2023, the prevalence of obesity in rural boys and girls is expected to increase by 4% and 2%, respectively, while that in urban boys and girls is expected to remain unchanged. Predictive models help us assess the severity of childhood obesity and take targeted interventions and treatments to prevent it.