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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Body mass index references for Turkish children
Ruveyde Bundak1, Andrzej Furman, Hulya Gunoz
1Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey. bruveyde@istanbul.edu.tr
Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|February 2, 2006
Summary
This study developed body mass index (BMI) reference curves for Turkish children aged 6-18 years. Findings indicate increasing BMI through puberty, with significant overweight prevalence in older boys and girls.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Anthropometry
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing global concern.
- Establishing age- and sex-specific growth references is crucial for monitoring child health.
- Previous BMI data for Turkish children was limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create body mass index (BMI) reference curves for Turkish children aged 6 to 18 years.
- To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in this population.
- To provide data comparable to international standards.
Main Methods:
- Utilized height and weight measurements from 2,119 healthy Turkish schoolchildren (1,100 boys, 1,019 girls).
- Calculated BMI from 11,648 measurements obtained biannually.
- Constructed centile curves using the LMS (Lambda-Mu-Sigma) method.
Main Results:
- Smoothed BMI percentile curves show a consistent increase towards adulthood, particularly during puberty for both sexes.
- At 18 years, overweight prevalence was 25% and obesity 4% in boys.
- At 14 years, overweight prevalence was 15% and obesity 1% in girls.
Conclusions:
- Presents the first comprehensive BMI reference curves for healthy Turkish children aged 6-18 years.
- The generated BMI values align with those observed in Western populations.
- Highlights the need for continued monitoring of childhood overweight and obesity in Turkey.
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