Prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity in Turkish adolescents

Background: The aim of this study was to determine under-weight, overweight and obesity prevalence in a representative sample of adolescents living in urban and rural area of central Edirne, Turkey, and to compare the 95(th) percentile BMI curve to the curves of other countries. Material and methods: Data concerning the height and weight of 989 adolescents, aged between 12 and 17 years were collected. The prevalence of underweight was defined as the percentage of adolescents below the 5(th) percentiles of the American adolescents' age and gender specific BMI; prevalence of overweight and obesity were based on the cut off points of the International Obesity Task Force values (excess of the 85(th) and 95 h percentiles), respectively. Results: This study demonstrated that the prevalence of underweight, over-weight and obesity among adolescent girls was 11.1%, 10.6% and 2.1%, respectively, while it was 14.4%, 11.3% and 1.6% for adolescent boys. In the urban area the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity among adolescent girls was 10.0%, 10.3% and 2.1%, while it was 14.4%, 11.6% and 1.6% for boys, respectively. In the rural area; the prevalence of under-weight, overweight and obesity among adolescent girls was 15.7%, 12.4% and 2.2%, while it was 14.5%, 9.6% and 1.2% for boys, respectively. Discussion: Analyses of data collected during these studies support that adolescents living in the city of Edirne carry relatively lower further risk of over-weight and obesity than adolescents in other countries do.