1Post graduate, Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College & Research institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth Deemed-to-be University, Pondicherry-607402
2Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College & Research institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth Deemed-to-be University, Pondicherry-607402
3*Professor & HOD, Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College & Research institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth Deemed-to-be University, Pondicherry-607402. Corresponding author.
4Post graduate, Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College & Research institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth Deemed-to-be University, Pondicherry-607402
5Post graduate, Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College & Research institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth Deemed-to-be University, Pondicherry-607402
6Post graduate, Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College & Research institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth Deemed-to-be University, Pondicherry-607402
Received: 12th Dec, 2025; Revised: 12th Feb 2026; Accepted: 13th Feb, 2026; Available Online: 10th March, 2026
Introduction & Background: Menarche marks the beginning of puberty in girls and is an important milestone in reproductive health. The age at menarche has been declining both globally and nationally, creating public health concerns due to its link with a variety of negative health outcomes. Early menarche, defined as onset before the age of twelve, has been associated to metabolic abnormalities, psychological concerns, and reproductive challenges. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of early menarche and the factors related with it among school-aged girls in Tamil Nadu's rural Chengalpet District.
Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in four randomly chosen Thiruporur Block villages. Multistage random sampling was used to choose 365 school-age girls between the ages of 9 and 14. House-to-house surveys employing pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires were used to gather data. Both sociodemographic and anthropometric information were documented. The Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to assess for associations after the data was analyzed using SPSS version 17.
Results: Early menarche occurred in 69.1% of children under the age of 12, with 5.8% having it before age 9. Early menarche was associated with characteristics such as sleep duration (p=0.000), physical activity (p=0.020), junk food consumption (p=0.000), bedtime gadget use (p=0.010), maternal age at menarche (p=0.001), and self-reported happiness and stress levels. BMI, family type, and income exhibited trends, although they were not statistically significant.
Conclusion: According to the study, early menarche is very common in the rural Chengalpet area, highlighting the impact of food practices, lifestyle choices, and psychological variables. To lessen the negative health effects linked to early pubertal onset, interventions emphasizing awareness, lifestyle change, and school-based instruction are crucial.
Keywords: Early menarche, Adolescent girls, Risk factors, Cross-sectional study.
How to cite this article: Rajalakshmi R, Surekha A, Raja TK, Janarthanan, Keerthana, Iswariya. Prevalence of Early Menarche and Associated Factors Among School-Going Girls (9–14 Years) in Chengalpet District, Tamil Nadu. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(3): 490-493. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.3.57
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None