Non Pharmacologic Suggestions to Cardiovascular Diseases in Primary Care

hypertension displays some differences. These differences arise from the fact that hypertension is a risk factor rather than a disease in which lifestyle changes are very important both for prevention and treatment as well as unique characteristics of primary care environment. Therefore management of hypertension in primary care must have a wider perspective. In primary prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension, non-pharmacological treatment, mainly diet and lifestyle changes, is of great importance

Anthropometric risk factors for elevated blood pressure in adolescents in Turkey aged 11-17

To investigate the relationship between anthropometric parameters and elevated blood pressure in adolescents, we measured blood pressure (BP), height, weight, triceps skinfold (TSF) thickness, waist circumference (WC), and mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) in 2,860 student volunteers aged 11-17 years in Kayseri, Turkey. Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), waist-to-arm-span ratio (WASR), body mass index (BMI), arm-fat area (AFA), and fat percentage (FP) were also calculated. Participants were divided into two groups: hypertensive [systolic blood pressure (SBP) or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) a parts per thousand yenaEuro parts per thousand 95th percentiles, n = 246] and normotensives (SBP or DBP < 95th percentiles, n = 2614). Multiple logistic regression models were produced within these groups for the examined risk factors, and cutoff points were investigated for SBP or DBP a parts per thousand yenaEuro parts per thousand 95th percentiles using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. BMI, WC, WHtR, WASR, MUAC, and BMI had statistically significant cutoffs among boys. Whereas BMI, WHtR, WASR, WC, MUAC, AFA, and TSF were statistically significant for girls younger than 15, only BMI and WC were statistically significant for participants older than 15. The independent risk factors for elevated BP were determined according to BMI and WC. Although several anthropometric measurements were significant in our participants, BMI and WC were significant among all participants irrespective of age and sex

Weight for length/height percentiles in infants and young children in Kayseri/Turkey.

Objective: To produce weight for length/height (WLH) percentiles to be used for the screening of growth and assessment of failure to thrive in infancy and early childhood

Body fat reference curves for healthy Turkish children and adolescents

Childhood obesity is a major worldwide health problem. In addition to body mass index (BMI), body fat percentiles may be used to predict future cardiovascular and metabolic health risks. The aim of this study is to define new age- and gender-specific body fat centiles for Turkish children and adolescents. A total of 4,076 (2,276 girls, 1,800 boys) children and adolescents aged 6-18 years were recruited for this study. Total body fat was measured by a bioelectrical impedance noninvasive method. Body fat percentiles were produced by the LMS method. The body fat percentile curves of boys appear to rise from age 6 to 12 years and then slope downwards to age 15 years and then flatten off. The body fat % percentiles of girls increased until 14 years of age through 75th to 97th percentiles and then slope downwards, but through the third to 50th percentiles, they showed a downward slope after 14 years old. Conclusions: Since BMI may not always reflect body fat content, direct assessment of adiposity by a practical method would be significantly useful for clinical decisions. Therefore, this study provides normative data for body fat percentage in healthy Turkish children and adolescents. To this goal we used a practical and clinically applicable method. These references can be useful for evaluation of overweight and obesity

Exophthalmometric References of 7-18 Year-old Children in Kayseri, Turkey

Aim: To produce age and gender specific exophthalmos references for Turkish children aged 7-18 years old

Interpopliteal distance percentiles to diagnose bowleg in 0-84 month-old Turkish children

The purpose of this study was to determine the percentiles of interpopliteal distance to diagnose bowleg in 0-6 year-old children. Measurement of interpopliteal distance is a simple but valuable indicator in clinical examination to diagnose bowleg. We analyzed data from the anthropometry of Turkish children aged 0-6 years. The primary sampling unit included 21 family health centers (Aile Sagligi Merkezi) located in the city center and suburbs of Kayseri, Turkey. A total of 2,873 children and adolescents (1,419 boys, 1,454 girls), whose parents gave consent were included in the study. The smoothed percentiles and Z-scores were calculated by age and gender in 0-6 year-old children in quarter year intervals except for the 0-28-day newborn period. We found a significant correlation (r: 0.60, p < 0.001) between body weight and interpopliteal distance (after onset of walking). We consider that percentiles of interpopliteal distance can be used in the follow-up of children who may be at risk of bone and growth disorders. The zone between -2 standard deviation (SD) and +2SD values can be used to decide if the child has a normal growth pattern

Age references for the arm span and stature of Turkish children and adolescents

Background: Arm span reference values need to be determined in screening for certain clinical conditions. Aim: To determine arm span reference values for screening purposes in children and adolescents. Subjects and methods: Children and adolescents aged 6-17 were selected according to socio-economic levels. Age, pubertal period and sex-specific height and arm span are presented as means and standard deviation. Construction of the centile curves was performed using LMS software; the 3rd, 50th and 97th percentiles of each sex were compared. Results: A total of 5358 primary and secondary school students (2737 girls, 2621 boys) were sampled for this study. Centile curves for both genders and linear regression equations to predict height from arm span were produced (height = 13.4396 + 0.9037(arm span); r =0.95 for boys and height = 16.4181 + 0.8865 (arm span); r =0.93 for girls). The correlation between arm span and height (r =0.83 p=0.001) was high and significant through ages 6-17. Conclusion: The findings provide a comparison of height and arm span for clinical purposes in critical percentiles (3rd, 50th and 97th), although these findings suffer from a lack of longitudinal examination to show the progress of these two anthropometric measurements

Normal standards of eye projection in Turkish children 6 to 17 years of age

Background There are a few international and Turkish reports on children's eye projection references