Results from a study conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) suggest children living in urban areas are more obese compared to those who live in rural areas while children in rural areas are shorter compared to those in urban areas.

Obesity is a medical condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers obesity as excessive body fat that accumulates to such an extent that it may have an adverse effect on health.

According to TÜİK's data, 2.1 percent of children in Turkey are thin, 75.5 are normal weight, 14.2 percent are overweight and 8.3 percent are obese.

When examining gender, 6.6 percent of girls and 10 percent of boys were found to be obese, in other words, almost one out of every 10 children is obese in Turkey. The survey showed that 2.2 percent of boys are thin, 74.5 percent are normal weight and 13 percent are overweight. When it comes to girls, 1.9 percent are thin, 76.5 percent are normal weight and 15 percent are overweight. When children's body mass index (BMI) was studied according to their place of residence, it was found that those living in urban areas tend to be obese more than those living in rural areas.

A total of 11.2 percent of boys and 7.4 percent of girls in urban areas have been diagnosed with obesity. However, this rate dropped in rural areas. In total, 3.7 percent of boys and 3.1 percent of girls living in rural areas are obese.

Furthermore, 2.4 percent of children in Turkey are short, 95.3 percent are normal height and 2.2 percent are tall. According to gender, 2.2 percent of boys and 2.6 percent of girls are short and 3.4 percent of boys and 1.6 percent of girls are tall.

The survey also found that children living in rural areas are shorter than their peers in urban areas. Of the children in rural areas, 5.6 percent of boys and 6 percent of girls are short.