Abstract
Background: Puberty is a normal process of physical changes that occurs when a child's body transitions into an adult body. Over weight and obesity in adolescence stage are important predictors of adult obesity and predict elevated adult mortality and cardiovascular diseases rates. Aim: 1) To examine the body mass index distribution among adolescent females. 2) To identify the relationship between obesity and symptoms of puberty. Design: Across-Sectional design was used. Sample: The total sample was 200 students. Their ages were ranged were ranged from 12 years to less than 21 years. Tools: The Researchers used three tools to collect the data. An interviewing questionnaire, an assessment tool, and growth chart. Result: The mean age of the studied sample was 16.2 +/- 1.6 years old, and the mean of body mass index of the obese group was 34.4 +/- 4.9 kg/m(2). The puberty age of more than two-third of the over-weight group ranged between 11-12 years. The mean age of menarche was 12.6 +/- 1.3 years. There were a statistically significant differences between obesity and menstrual irregularity (P<0.05). Regarding to dietary habits, there were 77.3% of the obese girls ate fatty foods and the majority of them (90.9%) were ate fast foods. In addition, 86.4% of the obese group drank soft drinks (beverages). There were a statistical significant differences between body mass index categories in relation to age of puberty and appearance of secondary sexual characteristics (P<0.05). Conclusion: The present study concluded that, obesity among adolescent females is an important concern. It can cause early puberty symptoms and menstrual irregularity. Also there were bad eating habits among adolescents that help them to have more fats and become obese. This can impact on their health. [Tahany El-Sayed El-Sayed Amr, Tawheda Mohamed El-Seedy and Awatif Abd -El-Razek Mohamed. The relationship between obesity and symptoms of puberty among the adolescent females. Life Sci J 2012; 9(3): 23342340]. (ISSN: 1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com.337