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Reproducibility of Age at Menarche Gathered From Mail Questionnaires: A Report From the Life Span Study.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Reproducibility of Age at Menarche Gathered From Mail Questionnaires: A Report From the Life Span Study.
Authors: Kadowaki Y; Department of Epidemiology, Radiation Effects Research Foundation., Brenner AV; Department of Epidemiology, Radiation Effects Research Foundation., Yamada M; Department of Clinical Studies, Radiation Effects Research Foundation., Sugiyama H; Department of Epidemiology, Radiation Effects Research Foundation., Utada M; Department of Epidemiology, Radiation Effects Research Foundation., Misumi M; Department of Statistics, Radiation Effects Research Foundation., Sakata R; Department of Epidemiology, Radiation Effects Research Foundation.
Source: Journal of epidemiology [J Epidemiol] 2025 Nov 05; Vol. 35 (11), pp. 490-495. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Sep 30.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: Japan Epidemiological Association Country of Publication: Japan NLM ID: 9607688 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1349-9092 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09175040 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Epidemiol Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Publication: 2018- : [Tokyo] : Japan Epidemiological Association
Original Publication: Tokyo : Japan Epidemiological Association
MeSH Terms: Menarche* , Self Report*, Humans ; Female ; Reproducibility of Results ; Postal Service ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Adolescent ; Age Factors ; Proxy ; Aged ; Child ; Young Adult ; Nuclear Weapons
Abstract: Background: Menarche timing may affect female health. While previous studies evaluated self-reported age at menarche reproducibility, they did not assess types of respondents. This study compared the reproducibility of age at menarche among self-responders and proxy respondents and assessed proxy-respondent reproducibility by relationship and survey age.
Methods: Data on age at menarche reported in both the 1969 and 1978 mail questionnaires among 9,043 females from the Life Span Study cohort of atomic bomb survivors were analyzed. The reproducibility of menarcheal age was assessed by the type of respondents, by proxy's relationship to participant, and by age at the 1969 survey using Bland-Altman's method and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).
Results: Reproducibility was moderate (95% limits of agreement, -2.3 to 2.4 years; ICC 0.72; 95% confidence interval, 0.71-0.73). Both self-respondents (N = 6,664) and the total study population (N = 9,043) maintained moderate reproducibility even at older ages. Groups with proxy reports showed lower reproducibility than self-respondents, with spouse proxy reports showing highest reproducibility and parent proxy reports showing lowest reproducibility among proxy reports, although the comparisons are based on different survey ages in 1969.
Conclusion: This is the first study to evaluate menarcheal-age reproducibility between self- and proxy-reports using appropriate measures. Mail questionnaires at 9-year interval showed moderate reproducibility across all ages, including elderly self-respondents. Reproducibility varied by the respondent-target relationship, with spouse proxies showing highest and parent proxies showing lowest reproducibility among proxy reports. Additional data are required to establish appropriate methods for handling specific proxy responses.
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: Life Span Study; age at menarche; proxy report; reproducibility; self-report
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20250518 Date Completed: 20251105 Latest Revision: 20251106
Update Code: 20251106
PubMed Central ID: PMC12527403
DOI: 10.2188/jea.JE20250027
PMID: 40383632
Database: MEDLINE
Description
Abstract:Background: Menarche timing may affect female health. While previous studies evaluated self-reported age at menarche reproducibility, they did not assess types of respondents. This study compared the reproducibility of age at menarche among self-responders and proxy respondents and assessed proxy-respondent reproducibility by relationship and survey age.<br />Methods: Data on age at menarche reported in both the 1969 and 1978 mail questionnaires among 9,043 females from the Life Span Study cohort of atomic bomb survivors were analyzed. The reproducibility of menarcheal age was assessed by the type of respondents, by proxy's relationship to participant, and by age at the 1969 survey using Bland-Altman's method and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).<br />Results: Reproducibility was moderate (95% limits of agreement, -2.3 to 2.4 years; ICC 0.72; 95% confidence interval, 0.71-0.73). Both self-respondents (N = 6,664) and the total study population (N = 9,043) maintained moderate reproducibility even at older ages. Groups with proxy reports showed lower reproducibility than self-respondents, with spouse proxy reports showing highest reproducibility and parent proxy reports showing lowest reproducibility among proxy reports, although the comparisons are based on different survey ages in 1969.<br />Conclusion: This is the first study to evaluate menarcheal-age reproducibility between self- and proxy-reports using appropriate measures. Mail questionnaires at 9-year interval showed moderate reproducibility across all ages, including elderly self-respondents. Reproducibility varied by the respondent-target relationship, with spouse proxies showing highest and parent proxies showing lowest reproducibility among proxy reports. Additional data are required to establish appropriate methods for handling specific proxy responses.
ISSN:1349-9092
DOI:10.2188/jea.JE20250027