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Table 4 Associations between adolescent risk behaviours and age of menarche in females

From: Early pubertal onset and its relationship with sexual risk taking, substance use and anti-social behaviour: a preliminary cross-sectional study

  

Age of menarche (years)

  

Online (%)

Paper (%)

Total (%)

  

n

≤ 12

≥ 13

P

n

≤ 12

≥ 13

P

n

≤ 12

≥ 13

PÂ¥

 

drank alcohol

812

46.9

38.5

*

572

59.8

47.4

**

1384

51.5

42.6

***

Before age

was drunk

820

25.7

19.0

*

572

36.2

26.7

*

1392

29.4

22.5

**

14 years,

took drugs

806

5.9

3.3

0.071

559

8.7

2.9

**

1365

6.9

3.1

**

 

smoked

822

29.0

22.6

*

570

29.3

22.4

0.065

1392

29.1

22.5

**

 

had sex

820

32.8

22.4

***

554

35.0

23.1

*

1374

33.5

22.7

***

Before age

16 years,

had unprotected sex

820

13.4

11.0

0.286

563

13.5

7.3

*

1383

13.4

9.3

*

 

first pregnant

822

1.0

1.0

1.000

578

1.3

0.6

0.341

1400

1.1

0.8

0.763

 

had an abortion

822

12.4

13.1

0.754

578

7.9

6.6

0.529

1400

10.8

10.1

0.986

∫Took drugs/alcohol at first sex

785

28.4

28.4

0.991

509

28.8

20.6

*

1294

28.5

25.0

0.234

$Typical

aggression

142

19.0

15.7

0.324

93

16.0

17.6

0.428

235

18.0

16.6

0.782

reactions to

ignoring people

226

25.9

29.5

 

153

31.0

25.9

 

379

27.6

27.9

 

emotional upset

moodiness

449

55.1

54.8

 

303

53.1

56.5

 

752

54.4

55.6

 

Bullying

victim

820

63.4

56.1

*

573

50.0

46.1

0.362

1393

58.6

51.5

*

 

perpetrator

822

18.0

19.2

0.654

564

17.4

12.4

0.094

1386

17.8

16.1

0.580

§Frequency

Never

607

71.6

76.8

0.392

448

74.0

80.2

0.108

1055

72.5

78.4

*

of

<1/year

138

19.3

14.4

 

64

12.8

10.0

 

202

17.0

12.4

 

involvement

circa 1/year

47

6.4

5.1

 

38

7.9

5.7

 

85

6.9

5.4

 

in fighting

>1/year

26

2.7

3.7

 

26

5.3

4.0

 

52

3.6

3.8

 

Time off

≤ 10 days

672

78.0

86.7

**

450

73.5

84.3

**

1122

76.4

85.6

***

school/year

≥ 11 days

144

22.0

13.3

 

112

26.5

15.7

 

256

23.6

14.4

 
  1. Questions not relating to a specific age refer to adolescence (here measured as the time period post menarche). *<0.05, **<0.01, ***<0.001, ns = not significant. $Respondents could select only one answer. §Analyses utilised chi squared for a trend. ¥Combined analyses on dichotomised variables utilised a stratified chi-squared design. ∫Analyses limited to those individuals who reported ever having had sex.