The average menarche age among South Korean women has decreased over time. Early menarche in women causes a higher incidence of obesity owing to the continuous fat accumulation induced by prolonged exposure to estrogen and adrenal steroids. Identifying the factors affecting obesity in women who experience early menarche is essential for managing obesity in adult women. This study aimed to analyze the factors associated with obesity in adult women who experienced early menarche and to provide basic data for obesity management. This study was a cross-sectional and descriptive survey from the seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination. A total of 371 women aged ≥ 19 years experienced early menarche, and the propensity matching method was used to analyze the obesity-related factors identified in previous studies. The results showed that obesity in adult women with early menarche was negatively associated with the level of aerobic exercise (OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.30-0.93, p = 0.028) and muscle-strengthening exercise (OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.17-0.64, p = 0.001). Future longitudinal studies on girls who experience early menarche are needed to address female obesity prevention at every stage of life, and, based on these findings, obesity management programs can be developed and applied and their effectiveness determined.
Keywords: menarche; obesity; women.