What happens to children when they are young often affects them for the rest of their lives. This includes that awful growing up stage called puberty. Recent research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health shows how girls from low income families are affected by not having the proper preparation for puberty.
Lack of preparation and education
The study was conducted by the Columbia University’s Mailman School of Health and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and included a 10-year examination of low-income girls living in the northeastern United States. The results showed a gap in the level of preparedness for puberty between girls from higher-income families and girls from low-income families.
Girls from low-income families do not get the education they need to help them prepare for puberty, a most important time in their lives. So they have a higher level of discomfort and lack of understanding about oncoming menstruation, reproductive health and body changes. The study also showed that African-American girls show signs of development by age eight. This makes it even more difficult to reach low-income girls before they reach puberty.
No support from family
Many young girls from low-income families may not have the support they need from family to educate them and prepare them for puberty. This can lower their confidence and lead to negative experiences that can affect them the rest of their lives.
The study clearly highlighted a need to provide more support to girls from poor families in the form of puberty education, and it is important for young girls to receive accurate information at an early age. Many public health officials are looking into programs that will provide this information that often is not coming from sources from within the family, such as mothers and sisters.
For more details about the study, visit www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(16)30404-9/abstract
