Stature of nigerian igbo female adolescents with a note on menarche

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was carried out between May and October 1990 on 1156 Igbo school girls aged 9 to 18 years. By systematic random sampling, these girls were selected from primary and secondary school in Enugu, Nigeria. Their mean heights ranged from 131.3+/-0.1 to 165.8+/-0.1cm while the mean weight ranged from 25.6+/-4.1 to 56.0+/-7.4kg. When stratified into socioeconomic class (SEC), the upper class showed higher values of mean height of 134.1+/-0.1 to 169.80+/-0.5cm and a mean weight of 27.2+/-4.3kg to 58.4+/-10.4 (P<0.05). The mean menarcheal age was 13.24+/-1.27 year while it was 12.8+/-1.1yr for the upper class Igbo school girls. These differences between the general population studied and the upper SEC of the same population were statistically significant. When compared with the figures from a similar study done in 1961 by Tanner and O'Keeffe on upper class Igbo school girls, the 1961 figures were found to be lower than all corresponding values in this study. This study therefore shows a significant general improvement among Nigerian Igbo girls since the last study in 1961, particularly when the upper class groups are compared in the two different years. Comparing with London girls and thereafter, these 1990 figures were remarkable. The implications are highlighted.

Keywords: Igbo school girls Adolescent stature Menarche.

Annals of Biomedical Science Vol. 4 (1) 2005: pp. 35-43