Background: From

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In the framework of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS), a series of clinical chemical parameters was determined in order to provide objective information on health status and particular health risks in addition to parent interview data and anthropometric measurements. In total, 43 parameters covered three areas of particular public health interest: nutrient deficiency, sero-epidemiology of past infectious diseases and immunization status, and risk indicators or risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases. The parameters were classified into five categories: these reflected the availability of reference ranges or cut-off values that are valid for children and young people, and they also depended on the degree of standardization of each test method. The present paper discusses initial descriptive results for selected parameters representing the various categories. In order to assess the public health significance of the results, and perhaps to derive standard reference ranges relevant to health care, more detailed analyses will be required. As a first step, these will focus on cross-sectional analyses of the association between biochemical parameters and other health-related anthropometric and socio-demographic variables. Intermediate and long-term objectives will include the construction of multidimensional reference ranges taking into account several laboratory parameters and additional clinical information, and the prognostic validation of reference ranges or cut-off values for selected parameters based on follow-up of study participants for clinical outcomes.

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