BACKGROUND: There are known to be ethnic differences in body composition in adults which are related to ethnic differences in adult disease. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate gender and ethnic differences in percentage body fat in British schoolchildren and to compare these differences with classification of obesity using body mass index (BMI) criteria. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study of 1251 healthy children and adolescents aged 5-18 years from white, South Asian and African-Caribbean ethnic groups. Percentage body fat was determined by dual x ray absorptiometry and the subjects classified using BMI criteria for overweight and obesity. RESULTS: Significant gender differences in percentage body fat were seen, with girls having higher values from the age of 5 years. Girls had 3.8% higher percentage body fat at 5 years of age increasing to 12.9% at 18 years of age. Significant ethnic differences were found, with South Asian girls and boys having the highest percentage body fat from 5 and 7 years of age, respectively. These differences increased with age, being most significant in the teenage years. Although South Asian girls and boys were over-represented in the group containing children with more than 25% body fat (p<0.0001, chi2 test), African-Caribbean subjects were more likely to be classified as obese using BMI criteria. CONCLUSIONS: There are clear gender and ethnic differences in percentage body fat in British schoolchildren which may relate to known differences in the risk of type 2 diabetes in adolescence and adulthood. BMI criteria for defining overweight and obesity do not accurately identify ethnic differences in body fat.
BACKGROUND: There are known to be ethnic differences in body composition in adults which are related to ethnic differences in adult disease. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate gender and ethnic differences in percentage body fat in British schoolchildren and to compare these differences with classification of obesity using body mass index (BMI) criteria. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study of 1251 healthy children and adolescents aged 5-18 years from white, South Asian and African-Caribbean ethnic groups. Percentage body fat was determined by dual x ray absorptiometry and the subjects classified using BMI criteria for overweight and obesity. RESULTS: Significant gender differences in percentage body fat were seen, with girls having higher values from the age of 5 years. Girls had 3.8% higher percentage body fat at 5 years of age increasing to 12.9% at 18 years of age. Significant ethnic differences were found, with South Asian girls and boys having the highest percentage body fat from 5 and 7 years of age, respectively. These differences increased with age, being most significant in the teenage years. Although South Asian girls and boys were over-represented in the group containing children with more than 25% body fat (p<0.0001, chi2 test), African-Caribbean subjects were more likely to be classified as obese using BMI criteria. CONCLUSIONS: There are clear gender and ethnic differences in percentage body fat in British schoolchildren which may relate to known differences in the risk of type 2 diabetes in adolescence and adulthood. BMI criteria for defining overweight and obesity do not accurately identify ethnic differences in body fat.
Authors: Michael J Murphy; Brad S Metcalf; Linda D Voss; Alison N Jeffery; Joanne Kirkby; Katie M Mallam; Terence J Wilkin Journal: Pediatrics Date: 2004-01 Impact factor: 7.124
Authors: Peter H Whincup; Claire M Nightingale; Christopher G Owen; Alicja R Rudnicka; Ian Gibb; Catherine M McKay; Angela S Donin; Naveed Sattar; K George M M Alberti; Derek G Cook Journal: PLoS Med Date: 2010-04-20 Impact factor: 11.069
Authors: Susan B Sisson; Peter T Katzmarzyk; Sathanur R Srinivasan; Wei Chen; David S Freedman; Claude Bouchard; Gerald S Berenson Journal: Obesity (Silver Spring) Date: 2009-04-23 Impact factor: 5.002
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