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

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.