SECULAR CHANGES IN HEIGHT AND LEG LENGTH AMONG TURKISH CHILDREN DURING THE LAST CENTURY

The secular change and socio-economic impact on it within developed countries have been well-documented in the past. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the brief analytic summary of the secular changes in growth pattern among Turkish children and adolescents during the last century. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 1,427 (709 boys and 718 girls) healthy schoolchildren aged 6-17 years in Ankara, Turkey. Historical data sets were obtained from previous survey reports. According to the standard anthropometric protocols height and iliospinal height measured, socio-economic status of the sample recorded. Results showed significant sexual dimorphism for height and iliospinal height (ANOVA p<0.001). Coinciding with the first half of the last century, periods of sudden decreases and subsequent recoveries were found. However, in the last three decades secular change accelerated. This appears to be a logical outcome of the gradual changes in nutrition, health care, education and economic conditions. Therefore, it can be concluded that we might expect further positive changes for Turkish children