Evaluation of Nutritional Status in Turkish Adolescents as Related to Gender and Socioeconomic Status

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Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the nutritional status of Turkish high school adolescents using anthropometric indicators and to determine the relationship of nutritional status with gender and socioeconomic status (SES) in adolescents.

Methods: Six hundred eighty adolescent students (n=284 males, 396 females) aged 14−18 years were selected from 6 high schools of different regions. Nutritional status was evaluated according to the anthropometric indicators, which were based on the WHO criteria. Adolescents were grouped into three SES categories.

Results: The rates of being stunted, underweight, and overweight/obesity were 4.4%, 5.0% and 16.8%, respectively. Height and weight standard deviation scores (SDS) were significantly lower in adolescents with low SES (p<0.05). The frequency of stunting was significantly higher in adolescents with low SES (p=0.012). Frequency of underweight, overweight and obesity did not differ significantly between socioeconomic groups and genders (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Adolescents of low SES were shorter and thinner than those of other SES categories. Undernutrition needs to be addressed in low SES. Among all Turkish adolescents, the major nutritional problems were overweight and obesity. There were no SES and gender differences in prevalence of overweight and obesity among the Turkish school adolescents living in urban areas. Prevalence of obesity is rising, regardless of differences in SES and gender, in developing countries too.

Conflict of interest:None declared.

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Most cited references 29

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Physical status: the use and interpretation of anthropometry. Report of a WHO Expert Committee.

of the World Health Organization World Health Organization Constitution, C Garza, G. Pradilla … (1995)

Anthropometry provides the single most portable, universally applicable, inexpensive and non-invasive technique for assessing the size, proportions, and composition of the human body. It reflects both health and nutritional status and predicts performance, health, and survival. As such, it is a valuable, but currently underused, tool for guiding public health policy and clinical decisions. This report presents the conclusions and comprehensive recommendations of a WHO Expert Committee for the present and future uses and interpretation of anthropometry. In a section that sets the technical framework for the report, the significance of anthropometric indicators and indices is explained and the principles of applied biostatistics and epidemiology that underlie their various uses are discussed. Subsequent sections provide detailed guidance on the use and interpretation of anthropometric measurements in pregnant and lactating women, newborn infants, infants and children, adolescents, overweight and thin adults, and adults aged 60 years and over. With a similar format for each section, the report assesses specific applications of anthropometry in individuals and populations for purposes of screening and for targeting and evaluating interventions. Advice on data management and analysis is offered, and methods of taking particular measurements are described. Each section also includes a discussion of the extent, reliability and universal relevance of existing reference data. An extensive series of reference data recommended by the Expert Committee and not widely distributed by WHO hitherto is included in an annex.

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Childhood obesity: public-health crisis, common sense cure

Cara B Ebbeling, Dorota Pawlak, David Ludwig (2002)

The Lancet, 360(9331), 473-482

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The relation of childhood BMI to adult adiposity: the Bogalusa Heart Study.

David S. Freedman, Laura Khan, Mary Serdula … (2005)

Although many studies have found that childhood levels of body mass index (BMI; kg/m(2)) are associated with adult levels, it has been reported that childhood BMI is not associated with adult adiposity. We further examined these longitudinal associations. Cohort study based on examinations between 1973 and 1996. Bogalusa, Louisiana. Children (2610; ages 2-17 years old) who were followed to ages 18 to 37 years; the mean follow-up was 17.6 years. BMI-for-age and triceps skinfold thickness (SF) were measured in childhood. Subscapular and triceps SFs were measured among adults, and the mean SF was used as an adiposity index. Adult obesity was defined as a BMI >or= 30 kg/m(2) and adult overfat as a mean SF in the upper (gender-specific) quartile. Childhood levels of both BMI and triceps SF were associated with adult levels of BMI and adiposity. The magnitude of these longitudinal associations increased with childhood age, but the BMI levels of even the youngest (ages 2-5 years) children were moderately associated (r = 0.33-0.41) with adult adiposity. Overweight (BMI-for-age >or= 95th centile) 2- to 5-year-olds were >4 times as likely to become overfat adults (15 of 23 [65%]), as were children with a BMI < 50th centile (30 of 201 [15%]). Even after accounting for the triceps SF of children, BMI-for-age provided additional information on adult adiposity. Childhood BMI is associated with adult adiposity, but it is possible that the magnitude of this association depends on the relative fatness of children.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): J Clin Res Pediatr Endocrinol

Journal ID (publisher-id): JCRPE

Title: Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology

Publisher: Galenos Publishing

ISSN (Print): 1308-5727

ISSN (Electronic): 1308-5735

Publication date (Print): September 2010

Publication date (Electronic): 4 August 2010

Volume: 2

Issue: 3

Pages: 111-116

Affiliations

[1 ] Celal Bayar University, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Manisa, Turkey

[2 ] Celal Bayar University, School of Medicine, Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, Manisa, Turkey

[3 ] Celal Bayar University, School of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Manisa, Turkey

+90 236 232 31 33+90 532 626 77 92 betul.ersoy@ 123456bayar.edu.tr Celal Bayar University, School of Medicine, Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, Manisa, Turkey

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Publisher Item ID: 66

DOI: 10.4274/jcrpe.v2i3.111

PMC ID: 3005679

PubMed ID: 21274324

SO-VID: 3677aeb3-999a-402b-be53-723207e81ef3

License:

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Evaluation of Nutritional Status in Turkish Adolescents as Related to Gender and Socioeconomic Status

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Chinese Journal of School Health

Most cited references 29

Physical status: the use and interpretation of anthropometry. Report of a WHO Expert Committee.

Childhood obesity: public-health crisis, common sense cure

The relation of childhood BMI to adult adiposity: the Bogalusa Heart Study.

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