Growth references for Turkish children aged 6 to 18 years.
OBJECTIVE
To create up-to-date reference standards for Turkish children, and to compare these with growth standards for US children (CDC 2000 Growth Charts) and with previous local data.


METHODS
Height and weight measurements of 1100 boys and 1020 girls were obtained by biannual visits to six schools located in relatively well-off districts of Istanbul city. All children came from well-to-do families and all were healthy. All measurements were made by two trained technicians. The LMS method was used in the analyses.


RESULTS
Heights of the boys and girls in all age groups were close to the updated 2000 USA growth references and showed an increase from data on Turkish children born 30 y earlier. Weight values were high compared to reference data on US children and to the older data on Turkish children.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that height growth in Turkish school-age children of high socio-economic level conforms to the updated growth data on US children. The data also show a secular upward trend in Turkey. Weight-for-age values indicate an increase in obesity. The results also point to the value of collecting and evaluating local growth data periodically.
Neyzi
Olcay
O
Institute of Environmental Sciences, Bogaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey. oneyzi@superonline.com
Furman
Andrzej
A
Bundak
Ruveyde
R
Gunoz
Hulya
H
Darendeliler
Feyza
F
Bas
Firdevs
F
D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012015:Reference Standards; D012923:Social Class; D014421:Turkey