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TRENDS AND DIFFERENTIALS IN MENARCHEAL AGE IN CHINA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2002

DUOLAO WANG
Affiliation:
Medical Statistics Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT
MICHAEL MURPHY
Affiliation:
Population Studies, Department of Social Policy, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE

Abstract

This study examines trends in menarcheal age of women born in China between 1950 and 1973, and explores the impact of relevant social background characteristics on the timing of first menarche. Data on recalled ages of menarche collected in the 1988 Chinese Two-per-Thousand Fertility Survey are used in a linear regression model where the covariates are transformed with the help of an Alternating Conditional Expectation (ACE) algorithm. The results indicate that a trend towards early menarche has evolved in China during recent decades. The pattern of early menarche is especially pronounced among women residing in urban areas, and those who are better educated.

Type
Regular Articles
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press

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