The study on the Secular Trends of Menarcheal Age in Korea

우리나라 초경발현시기의 추이에 관한 연구

The objective of the study is to review the research materials for menarche including general characteristics of target population surveyed, mean age of subject, menarche experience rates of the subject and mean age at menarche, and to analyze secular trends of age at menarche in Korea from 1935 to 1992. The results of the study summarized as follows; 1. The range of age in the target pulation for menarcheal research was mainly 10-29 age groups, and most of them were middle, high school girls and college students. 2. There was positive relationship among mean age at menarche, level of menarche experiences rates and mean age of the subject(P<0.01). 3. In the relationship between the mean age at menarche and the level of menarche experience rate of the subject, the subject of study with higher menarche experience were more likely to be higher mean age at menarche than those with lower menarche experience rates. In case of menarcheal experience rates at 75-90 percent among the subject, the values of more and median were more close to the actual mean age at menarche under the assumption that all of the subject had experience menarche. 4. The trends of age at menarche during 1935-92 were linear decrement: Y = 85.93-0.036X in the whole country and Y = 91.35-0.039X in Seoul. The rates of secular diminution in age at menarche calculated to be about 4.3 months per decade in the nation-wide, and 4.6 months in Seoul during the periods. 5. To analyze the secular trends in menarcheal age, the researcher should set up criterians including the range of age in target population, the level of menarcheal experience rate and the regional characteristics.