Economic and Social Research Council
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Poorer girls over twice as likely to start period by 11

New research from the ESRC International Centre for Lifecourse Studies in Society and Health shows that girls from poorer families are two-and-a-half times more likely to start their period by the age of 11, than children from wealthier backgrounds.

‘Early puberty in 11-year-old girls: Millennium Cohort Study findings’ is the first study to look over time at whether, and how, a girl’s social and economic circumstances and her ethnicity might be linked to the early onset of puberty.

The report, completed at the centre based at UCL (University College London), examined information from 5,839 girls who have participated in the Millennium Cohort Study which has been tracking the lives of 19,000 UK children born in 2000-01. It found that:

  • on average, girls who were heavier at age seven and suffered stress in early childhood were more likely to have begun menstruating by age 11 
  • those who had started their periods early also tended to have mothers with higher stress levels, were from single-parent families, and tended to have had some social and emotional difficulties themselves
  • Indian, Bangladeshi and black African girls were most likely to have started their period at age 11, with Indian girls three-and-a-half-times more likely than their white counterparts to have done so.

Early puberty is linked to numerous health outcomes including increased risk of poor mental health (in adolescence and throughout life), cardiovascular disease and some cancers. The average age for UK girls to start their menstrual cycle is 12.9 (12 years, and nearly 11 months). To identify markers for earlier menstruation, Professor Yvonne Kelly and the team of academics at UCL looked at a number of factors including income, weight, ethnicity, stress and parental situation.

They found that affluence was the largest indicator of whether a girl would start her period younger than others.

“After we took account of factors including their weight and early life stress, girls from the poorest and second poorest groups were still one and a half times more likely to have started their periods early. And as far as ethnicity was concerned, income, excess body weight and stress accounted for part or all of the differences in most cases,” explained Professor Kelly of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at UCL.

“The findings can perhaps be explained, as we know that girls from less wealthy backgrounds are more likely to have a higher BMI (body mass index), and their mothers are more likely to experience psychological distress – all of which appear to be an indicator of beginning menstruation earlier in life.” 

Professor Kelly added: “However, as most Indian girls come from more advantaged backgrounds compared to their white peers, the likelihood of them having started their period could not be explained when we took all of the factors measured in our study into account.”

The study, which has been published in Archives of Disease in Childhood, showed that one in 10 girls are starting their period by age 11 years of age.

Professor Kelly explained that the findings could be vital in terms of improving the health of generations to come.

“Given the short- and long-term implications for early puberty on women’s health and wellbeing, improving our understanding of the processes could help identify opportunities for interventions with benefits right across the lifecourse – not just for the girls in our study, but for future generations,” she said.

Whilst the study – which assessed a pool of families across a wide ethnic range and in various areas from across the country – focused on menstruation cycles of girls, it also demonstrated ‘considerable different life experiences’ of ethnic minority groups in the UK.

Professor Kelly explains: “Indians are relatively advantaged whereas Pakistanis tend to be materially disadvantaged; Bangladeshis and black Africans are materially disadvantaged and tend to have higher BMIs compared with the majority ethnic group.

“We can say with considerable confidence that socioeconomic and ethnic disparities are indeed apparent in the UK.”

Further information

  • Yvonne Kelly, Professor of Lifecourse Epidemiology
    Email: y.kelly@ucl.ac.uk
    Telephone: 020 7679 1632

Notes for editors

  1. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK’s largest funder of research on the social and economic questions facing us today. It supports the development and training of the UK’s future social scientists and also funds major studies that provide the infrastructure for research. ESRC-funded research informs policymakers and practitioners and helps make businesses, voluntary bodies and other organisations more effective. The ESRC also works collaboratively with six other UK research councils and Innovate UK to fund cross-disciplinary research and innovation addressing major societal challenges. The ESRC is an independent organisation, established by Royal Charter in 1965, and funded mainly by the Government.
  2. The International Centre for Lifecourse Studies in Society and Health (ICLS) is funded by ESRC (grant reference RES-596-28-0001 (2008-2012) and ES/J019119/1 (2013-2017)). ICLS is a multidisciplinary research centre, directed by Professor Amanda Sacker, that supports research at UCL, University of Manchester, University of East London, University of Essex and Örebro University Hospital Sweden.
  3. Professor Yvonne Kelly (along with Amanda Sacker and Helen Pearson) will be talking at the event Never too early, never too late, at UCL on 8 November as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science. To request a ticket to this event please email icls@ucl.ac.uk

 

Channel website: http://www.esrc.ac.uk

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