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Background: Menarche is an important period in a female's life; its time of onset may depend on various factors and could correlate with the development of diseases in adulthood. Our study aims to investigate the relationship between body mass index and age at onset of menarche; Methods: We used a unique standardized national dataset on adolescent girls participating in the Italian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study. Two independent nationally representative survey datasets: one on 15-year-olds (n = 6505, year 2017/2018) and one on 11-year-olds (n = 6548, year 2013/2014) were analysed. The survey instrument was the self-report questionnaire. Median age at menarche and 95% confidence intervals were estimated through Kaplan–Meier analysis. Hierarchical models assessed the relationship between BMI and age at menarche; Results: Region-level median age at menarche ranged between 12 years/5 months and 13 years/4 months. Region-level prevalence of overweight among 15-year-old girls ranged between 6% and 24%. Age at menarche was inversely associated with individual BMI (unstandardized regression coefficient beta=-0.81; 95% CI, -0.92 to -0.70). Individual-level and class-level measures of BMI accounted for 215.2% of the region-level variance in age at menarche; Conclusions: The results show that girls who were overweight during childhood went through early puberty. Further investigation needs to assess a possible cause-effect relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Adolescence is an important period of psychophysical development. In this phase of life people acquire greater self-awareness and adopt behaviors that will later shape their lifestyle in adulthood. This study aimed to assess whether family structure can influence adolescents' eating habits. Methods: Data were acquired from a survey titled 'Italian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children' (HBSC) given to a representative sample of Tuscan adolescents aged 11, 13, 15 and 17 years of age. Participants (3210) filled out a validated questionnaire answering questions about their eating habits and family structure. After adjusting for covariates, some interesting trends were highlighted in the survey results. Results: Adolescents living in single-mother families reported a lower intake of fruits (OR 0.68, 95% CI = 0.55–0.83) and vegetables (OR 0.66, 95% CI = 0.53–0.81) and a higher intake of sugar-added soft drinks (OR 1.33, 95% CI = 1.08–1.64). Living in a mother and stepfather family was associated with a higher intake of sugar-added soft drinks (OR 1.53, 95% CI = 1.02–2.28), whereas living in a father and stepmother family was associated only with a lower intake of fruits (OR 0.48, 95% CI = 0.26–0.87). Participants living with other family types reported a lower intake of vegetables (OR 0.68, 95% CI = 0.47–0.98). Conclusions: The results of this study show a correlation between family structure and adolescents' eating habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Overweight has been associated with several social and phycological problems and is perceived as one of the major health care challenges to focus on in the future. The purpose of the study is to investigate the correlations among nutritional status, assessed by the Body Mass Index, the perception of one's own health status and Life Satisfaction, detected in Italian adolescents living in Tuscany Region, and to investigate the influence of gender on them., Methods: A statistically representative sample of 2760 Tuscan adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 was involved in the 2018 Health Behaviours at School-aged Children survey. The participants were divided into three nutritional status class: underweight, normal weight and overweight (overweight + obese)., Results: The results show that there is a statistically significant difference in all categories between boys and girls aged 13 and 15 years; in girls aged 11 and 13 years, the Life Satisfaction of the overweight group is statistically lower than that of normal and underweight groups; Self-Rated Health is statistically lower in all age groups for overweight individuals compared to normal weight children, except for 11-year-old females., Conclusions: Viewing the psychosocial problems related to overweight, more attention and care must be placed on adolescents to ensure their healthier development., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (©2024 Pacini Editore SRL, Pisa, Italy.)