Başak Koca Özer

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Turkish adults.

The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence and patterns of adult overweight and obesity in Turkey and discuss the impact of socio-environmental factors. A cross-sectional nationwide survey was carried out on 2100 adults (1050 males and 1050 females) aged 18 to 65 years from 7 geographic regions of Turkey. Data on height and weight were measured according to the Anthropometric Standardization Reference Manual and a questionnaire was applied to access the socio-economic status. The body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2), overweight and obesity were calculated, and percentiles were developed by LMS method. Mean BMI was 26.24 for males and 28.02 for females. Results showed that obesity was more pronounced among females (34.19%) than among males (20%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that older age and education level among females, and older age and occupational status among males have impact on obesity. Comparison of the present results with former nationwide studies conducted in Turkey showed that height and weight for both sexes have increased with the improved socio-economic conditions. In addition, increased weight and BMI needed to be monitored particularly for females in terms of acute health problems.

Secular changes in the height of the inhabitants of Anatolia (Turkey) from the 10th millennium B.C. to the 20th century A.D

We use human-skeleton samples to estimate the height of adults living in Anatolia during the Neolithic period. We also report the results of surveys taken in the 20th century on the height of the Turkish population. Neolithic and the Chalcolithic (5000-3000 B.C.) male heights are estimated as 170.9 cm and 165.0 cm, respectively. Pronounced increases were observed for both sexes between the Chalcolithic and Iron (1000-580 B.C.) periods and sharp decreases among both males and females in the Hellenistic-Roman period (333 B.C. to 395 A.D.). Moreover, recovery to the Iron Age levels was achieved in the Anatolian Medieval period (395-1453 A.D.) for both sexes (169.4 cm for males and 158.0 cm for females). In 1884 the mean height of men was 162.2 cm and by the beginning of the 1930s it increased to 166.3 cm. In the first nationwide survey in 1937 males mean height was 165.3 cm, and females was 152.3 cm, where today current heights are 174.0 cm and 158.9 cm, respectively.