Girl children are starting menstruation early A study published in the Jama Network Open indicates that the average age of menarche — first menstrual period — decreased from 12.5 years (1950-1969) to 11.9 years (2000-2005) in the US, a trend more pronounced among racial minorities and low socio-economic status groups. Moreover the percentage of girl children who experienced menarche before age 11 rose from 8.6 percent to 15.5 percent, and before age 9 increased from 0.6 percent to 1.4 percent. Researchers of Harvard Chan School of Public Health, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and Apple conducted the Apple Women’s Health Study using data from a large, mobile application-based cohort born between 1950 and 2005. “Early menarche is associated with higher risk of adverse health outcomes, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. To address these health concerns — which our findings suggest may begin to impact more people, with disproportionate impact on already disadvantaged populations — we need much more investment in menstrual health research,” says Zifan Wang, co-author of the study and postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard Chan School’s Department of Environmental Health. Half of Indian adults physically inactive: WHO A new World Health Organisation (WHO) study published in Lancet Global Health reveals that an alarming 49.4 percent of adults in India (cf. 31 percent worldwide) don’t meet the recommended level of physical activity — 150 minutes of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or equivalent, per week. The study highlights a disturbing trend of physical inactivity among adults, which has increased by 5 percentage points between 2010 and 2022. According to WHO if this trend continues, global levels of inactivity are projected to further rise to 35 percent by 2030. Disparity in gender continues with physical inactivity more common among women (34 percent) compared with men (29 percent) globally, putting the former at greater risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, type 2 diabetes, dementia and breast and colon cancer. “Physical inactivity is a silent threat to global health, contributing significantly to the burden of chronic diseases. We need to find innovative ways to motivate people to become more active, considering factors like age, environment, and cultural background,” says Dr Rüdiger Krech, WHO’s Director of Health Promotion. Sleep deprivation linked to hypertension in children Routinely sleep deprived young children and teenagers are at a greater risk of developing high blood pressure aka hypertension, says a study conducted by researchers of the University of Pennsylvania and published in Pediatrics. Researchers analysed data of over 500 children and teens diagnosed with hypertension from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. It reveals an association between shorter-than-recommended sleep times and high blood pressure. According to Dr. Amy Kogon, the study’s lead author, as many as a third of elementary school children get less than the recommended amount of sleep. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 10-13 hours per night for children below 6; 9-12 hours for children ages 6-12; 8-10 hours for ages 13-18 and…
