Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine serum lipid, cholesterol and obesity levels in healthy children, and then to explore the relationships between these factors.
Methods: The sample group consisted of 103 students at Gelik Elementary School in Zonguldak, Turkey who was willing to participate in the study, had not been medically diagnosed with a chronic ailment, and were not taking regular medications.
Results: When the students' mean BMI (Body Mass Index )measurements were considered, it was found that mean BMI at 13 years of age (21.03 ± 0.23) was higher than at 14 years (20.05 ± 0.20) and that this difference was strongly significant (p=0.002). When the relationships between the students' height, weight, BMI, blood pressure, FBS (Fasting Blood Sugar), cholesterol, LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein), HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) measurements were considered, it was seen that there was a positive significant relationship between height-weight (r=0.472; p<0.001), height-blood pressure (r=0.432; p<0.001), and height-FBS (r=0.332; p=0.001).
Conclusions: The conclusion drawn was that monitoring blood pressure, cholesterol, LDL and HDL levels in childhood medical examinations is not only important in terms of identifying obesity, but also in identifying nutritional mistakes and deficiencies at an early stage
