Comparison of body mass index percentiles for schoolchildren in Croatia with international reference values

The aim was to determine body mass index (BMI) percentiles in Croatian children aged 6.5-18.5 years and to compare them with theUnited States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC 2000) and World Health Organisation (WHO 2007) BMI referencevalues in order to show the pattern of diff erences. A representative cross-sectional national survey with standardized body heightand weight measurements included 12,389 schoolchildren (6372 boys and 6017 girls) aged 6.5-18.5 years (response rate 94.5%). BMIpercentile curves were established using the Lambda-Mu-Sigma method. BMI percentiles of the Croatian schoolchildren diff eredfrom analogical percentiles in two international reference populations. The 5th percentile in boys and girls was similar to both referencepopulations until the age of about 13 years, and in the age onwards it showed an upward shift. The 50th, 85th and 95th percentilesin boys showed an upward shift in boys in all ages observed; in girls, an upward shift was observed until the age of about 14years and downward shift in the age onwards. The diff erences observed between BMI percentiles of Croatian schoolchildren andUSCDC 2000 and WHO 2007 references imply that BMI percentiles developed on a nationally representative sample would be moreappropriate for assessment of nutritional status at the national level, whereas international standards could be used for comparisonof nutritional status among diff erent populations.

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