Age at menarche among adolescent females in Zambia: implication for family formation.

Abstract

This study examines the relationships between age at menarche and two fertility related variables, expected age at marriage and expected number of children. The random sample consists of 525 secondary school-going females in the age range 13-21 years from the Copperbelt and Lusaka Central Provinces in Zambia. It was found that the age of menarche ranged from 10 to 18 years with a mean of 14.2 + 1.4 (mean + SD) years. The association between age at menarche and expected age at marriage was found to be weak but positive. Furthermore, the association of age at menarche with expected number of children was found to be weak but in the negative direction.