OKUL ÖNCESİ DÖNEM ÇOCUKLARINDA ALT VE ÜST EKSTREMİTE UZUNLUKLARININ DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ.

Human growth and development are depended on both genetic and environmental conditions. From infancy to adulthood, during the growth process the growth rate of the body ratios shows differences. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate height, upper arm, forearm, upper leg, lower leg length values of the pre-school children and to determinate the ratios, and contribute to other public health studies. The study sample consisted of 815 (402 male, 413 female) children aged between 3 and 5 years living in Ankara. Height, upper arm, forearm, upper leg, and lower leg lengths were taken in accordance with the standard protocols after receiving ethical and family permits. The statistical analyses conducted using SPSS 20.0 program and percentiles were constructed using LMS method. According to the results, children aged between 3 to 5 years, the forearm / upper ratio was 0.8 and the lower / upper ratio was 0.7 in both sexes. Positive correlation was found between all variables (p <0.001). The comparison of study results with other country values revealed that upper arm length was lower than the American children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) for the respective age groups. Constructing the country specific reference values is of great importance for to follow-up children's development, to evaluate and compare for further generations and to determinate the secular changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]