Body mass index percentiles for Turkish children aged 0–84 months

Abstract

Background: Reference body mass index (BMI) percentiles are needed to follow secular changes in Turkish children aged 0–84 months. Obesity prevalence in this age group is also not well documented.Aim: The aim of this study was to determine BMI percentiles and the prevalences of overweight and obesity in Turkish children aged 0–84 months. The authors also tried to compare actual BMI status with World Health Organization (WHO) standards.Subjects and methods: This study used data from the Anthropometry of Turkish Children aged 0–6 years (ATCA-06) study. This cross-sectional study, conducted from September 2009 to May 2010 in Kayseri, Turkey, included 2683 children (1359 girls, 1324 boys) aged 0–84 months. Centile curves were constructed using the LMS method.Results: It was found that BMI percentiles of Turkish children were higher than WHO standards in early childhood. The overweight and obesity prevalences were identical in both genders, 10.0% and 4.9%, respectively.Conclusion: This study provides both BMI reference values and prevalence figures for overweight and obesity in children aged 0–84 months, residing in Kayseri city, in Turkey. It is believed that these data can be of use in following secular changes as well as for comparisons with international standards.