Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 31, 2026

Fundus Photography as a Convenient Tool to Study Microvascular Responses to Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Epidemiological Studies
Published on: October 22, 2014
Early Menarche is a Risk Factor for Short Stature in Young Korean Females: An Epidemiologic Study
Sol Kang1, Yoon Mo Kim1, Jun Ah Lee1
1Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Objective:
To assess the association between age at menarche and adult height [and body mass index (BMI)] in young Korean females and also to investigate whether early menarche (<12 years) is a risk factor for short stature and obesity in young Korean females.
Methods:
Data on 1148 females aged 18-30 years and 612 mother (612 pairs of mothers and daughters) from the 6th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013-2015) were analyzed.
Results:
Among 1148 females, 256 (22.3%) had early menarche. Their stature was approximately 0.445 cm shorter when menarche had occurred one year earlier. The prevalence of short stature (≤153 cm) and obesity (BMI ≥25) was higher in females with early menarche compared to those with later menarche (short stature: 10.5% vs 6.4%, obesity; 20.7% vs 13.1%, all p<0.001). In multivariate regression, the odds ratio (OR) for short stature was 2.62 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.26-5.44] after adjusting for current age and mother’s height. OR for obesity was 1.74 (95% CI: 0.98-3.07) after adjusting for age and maternal BMI.
Conclusion:
Final height in girls is influenced by age of menarche. Early menarche increased the risk for adult short stature in young Korean females.
Related Concept Videos
Factors Affecting the Risk of Infection
The integrity and count of the white blood cells help the body resist pathogens and fight infection. When impaired, it reduces the body's resistance to pathogens. The acidic pH levels of the gastrointestinal, genitourinary tracts, and skin...
Study Designs in Epidemiology
Observational studies are those where the researcher does not intervene but rather observes natural variations. They include cross-sectional, cohort, and...
Confounding in Epidemiological Studies
Bias in Epidemiological Studies
Introduction to Epidemiology
Causality in Epidemiology

