Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in Thessaloniki-Greece and Kayseri-Turkey

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece and in the Kayseri area of Turkey and compare the results. For this purpose, data concerning the weight and height of 2458 Greek school children aged 6-17 years (1226 6-10 years, 1232 11-17 years) and 3703 Turks (1032 6-10 years, 2671 11-17 years) were collected. BMI was calculated. The prevalence of overweight Greek schoolchildren was 22.2% while that of Turks was 10.6%. The obesity prevalence was 4.1% and 1.6%, respectively (total overweight and obese children 26.3% and 12.2%, respectively). In the analyses, the estimations of the prevalence of overweight and obesity are based on the international BMI percentile curves and cut-off points in subjects aged 2-18 years recently established. A significant gender difference was found, males being more overweight and obese compared to females. Finally, the prevalences for both Greeks and Turks were higher in children when compared to adolescents. In conclusion, Greece (as represented by the Thessaloniki area) has one of the highest prevalences of overweight schoolchildren recorded in Europe while Turkey (as represented by Kayseri area) one of the lowest recorded among developed and developing countries. Differences in lifestyle and socioeconomic status in the two regions are most probably responsible for these results.