Clinical Investigation

Serum Lipid Profile and Obesity Scanning of A Group of Primary School Students in Central Villages of Mugla Province

  • Zeki ARI
  • Hüseyin SÜZEK

Received Date: 12.02.2008 Accepted Date: 15.07.2008 Meandros Med Dent J 2008;9(2):11-16

Purpose:

Obesity is referred to as an excessive increase in lipid tissue of body. This study was aimed to determine lipid profile and obesity-related conditions of primary school students between ages 7 and 15 in central villages of Mugla Province.

Material and Methods:

In the present study, age, sex, height and weight demographics of 231 (112 girls, 119 boys) students attending primary schools located in 9 central villages of Mugla Province were gathered, their body mass indexes (BMI) were calculated, and total cholesterol (TC), triachylglicerol (TG), and HDL-, LDL-, and VLDL-Cholesterol levels were measured in fasting blood samples.

Results:

Of all students, 6.5% were lean (BMI<=5), 69.3% were normal (BMI=5-85), 11.2% were overweight (BMI=85-95) and 13.0 were obese (BMI>=95). There was no significant difference between girls and boys with respect to the BMI (p>0.05). No statistically significant difference could be found between groups of girls and boys in any of the lipid parameter (TC,TG,HDL,LDL,VLDL) calculations (p>0.05). It was found that TG and VLDL values were relatively low in lean group, however TC and LDL values were lower in normal group in comparison with those of the other groups (for both p<0.05). There was no significant difference between groups concerning HDL-C (p>0.05). Moreover, whereas TC levels of children, who snack while watching television were found to be higher than those of children who do not snack (p<0.05), the difference between other parameters was statistically insignificant (p>0.05).

Conclusion:

Because of wrong dietary habits and sedentary life, obesity developes followed by blood lipid abnormalities. If these are not corrected in childhood obesity will result in increasingly serious health problems.

Keywords: Lipids, obesity, school-age children, body mass index