SEXUAL MATURATION IN ADOLESCENTS FROM THE REGION OF EASTERN RODOPI IN CONNECTION WITH THEIR SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

Slavi Tineshev; Georgi Tomov; Ivan Dimov; Emilia Andreenko; Atanas Baltadjiev

doi:10.5937/gads53-17926

Slavi Tineshev Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Plovdiv, ''Paisii Hilendarski", Bulgaria
Georgi Tomov Оral Pathology Department, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Ivan Dimov Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Plovdiv, ''Paisii Hilendarski", Bulgaria
Emilia Andreenko Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Plovdiv, ''Paisii Hilendarski", Bulgaria
Atanas Baltadjiev Medical University Plovdiv, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Bulgaria

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5937/gads53-17926

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the influence of socio-economic environment on the processes of sexual maturation and the age of adolescent’s menarche from the Eastern Rhodopi. Subjects of study are 1378 children and adolescents from local schools in Ivaylovgrad, Svilengrad and Lyubimets. These are 730 girls and 648 boys aged 8 to 17 years. In connection with studying the influence of environmental factors on the sexual maturation processes, interviews with parents were conducted . The survey contains 22 questions with parents’ data, which were used to clarify the social, economic and professional status, living conditions of family life, etc. The results show that although genetically determinated, the processes of sexual maturation are significantly influenced by exogenous factors, and in a peculiar way they reflect the specific social and economic situation in a given geographical area at a randomly selected time period.