Abstract:
The influence of several envitonmental factors on ths lnean age at rnenarche ha.re
been studied in Sri Lanka. Differences betwe$n urban and rural groups u'ere reporied
by Wilson and Sutherland (1) and mot'e receRtly Kodagoda and Rajapaksa (2). Findin_ss
lrom the studies on the influence of socio-economic level have not been consistent.
Chinnatharnby (3) reported a iorvering of the mean age with increase in $ocio-economic
conditions vrhile .fayasekara and Gunawardena (4) could find no significant influence of
the father's occupation or family sizs. The differences in the mean age at menarche
between Kandy and Fiurvara Eliya school girls rvere attributed by us mainiy to the
differences in the socio-economic status (5). fn a more recent study by Godaw'atta and
Wikramanayake (6) the differences observed betrveen Colombo amd Kadawata were
aitributed to differences in the socio-econornic status. These rvorkels also noted that the
girls wlro had reached menarche are significantly taller, heavier and had higher body
rnass indexes than those who had not. Mid-arm circumference and the skinfold thickness
too were fbund to be higher in those who had reached menarche. No other atternpts have
been rnade to study the influence of nutritional status on the age at inenarche.
The rnost rvidely accepted classification fol nutritional status is the Wateriow Classification (7) which is derived from v;eight for height and height for age. This classification
distinguishes rlormal cirildren ti'orn thoss acutely undernourished, chronically
undernonrished and those lvith acute and chrorric undernutrition. This present
study is an attempt to relate the existing nutritional status of school girls to the mean age
at menarche
