title: Body mass index percentiles among adolescent girls living in Edirne, Turkey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Body mass index (BMI) is the simplest way to measure obesity; therefore, it is chosen by many authorities as a screening method for adolescent obesity. Body mass index is positively correlated with the complications of childhood and adolescent obesity, such as hypercholesterolemia, insulin resistance, hyper-tension and long-term development of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the present study was to produce percentile curves for bodyweight, height and BMI in a representative sample of adolescent girls living in urban and rural areas of Edirne, Turkey, and to compare these percentile curves with curves from other countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study was a cross-sectional study, including a representative sample of 1687 adolescent girls from rural and urban areas of Edirne, who were evaluated between May and July 2001. Bodyweight and height were measured using standard procedures. Body mass index (kg/m2) was calculated as the ratio of bodyweight to body height squared. Smoothed percentiles for these variables were calculated using polynominal regression models. Crude weight, height and BMI percentile values, as well as smoothed percentile curves are presented.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Body mass index, weight and height reference curves for adolescent girls were produced. When we compared the BMI values of subjects in the present study with those of other countries, 85th and 95th percentiles of BMI in the present study were found to be generally lower than those for other ethnicities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings show ethnic differences in BMI among adolescent girls. It will be usefull for each country to produce its own BMI percentiles.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics and Public Health, Trakya University Faculty of Medicine, Edirne, Turkey.
authors.forename: Serap
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: KarasaliIhoğlu
authors.forename: Naci
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oner
authors.forename: Galip
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ekuklu
authors.forename: Ulfet
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Vatansever
authors.forename: Ozer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pala
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D014421:Turkey