This paper presents the initial findings of the research cooperation between Slovenian and
Macedonian researchers investigating environmental effects on children’s growth and
development. The study includes five different groups of children: Macedonian majority
children who live in Macedonia, Albanian minority children who live in Macedonia,
Macedonian children from migrant families who live in Slovenia, Albanian children from
migrant families who live in Slovenia, and the population data of children who live in
Slovenia. The first round of measurements, organised in the 2000/2001 school year, are
presented. The findings show that the differences in stature, body mass, triceps skinfold
thickness, and BMI between Macedonian and Albanian children living in Macedonia were
bigger than the differences between the children of both migrant ethnic groups living in
Slovenia. Macedonian children living in Macedonia were much more inclined towards
pre-obesity and obesity than their Albanian peers were. When the migrant Albanian and
Macedonian children in Slovenia were observed, the differences almost disappeared,
although the observed rates of obesity were also higher among migrant children in
Slovenia in comparison to Albanian and Macedonian children living in Macedonia. The
differences in stature, body mass, triceps skinfold thickness and BMI between the migrant
groups of children and population of children in Slovenia were very small, and there were
no significant differences in pre-obesity and obesity rates.