Racial/ethnic Differences in Body Fatness Among Children and Adolescents

• DOI: 10.1038/oby.2008.30
• Publication Date: 2008-02-28T15:34:23Z
• Authors: David S. Freedman; Jack Wang; John C. Thornton; Zuguo Mei; Richard N. Pierson; William H. Dietz; Mary Horlick
• Keywords: Male; 0301 basic medicine; Sex Characteristics; Adolescent; Asian; Body Weight; Age Factors; Hispanic or Latino; White People; Body Mass Index; 3. Good health; Black or African American; 03 medical and health sciences; Absorptiometry, Photon; Cross-Sectional Studies; Adipose Tissue; Child, Preschool; Humans; Female; Child; Adiposity

Although the BMI is widely used as a measure of adiposity, it excess weight, and its association with body fatness may differ across racial or ethnic groups.To determine whether differences in between white, black, Hispanic, Asian children vary by BMI-for-age, accuracy overweight (BMI-for-age>or=Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) 95th percentile) an indicator adiposity varies race/ethnicity.Total dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) provided estimates %body fat among 1,104 healthy 5- to 18-year-olds.At equivalent levels black had less (mean, 3%) than white children, girls slightly higher (1%) girls. These differences, however, varied Asians evident only relatively thin children. The ability identify also race/ethnicity. Of fatness, 89% (24/27) girls, but 50% (8/16) were (P=0.03). Furthermore, proportion who from 62% (8/13) 100% (13/13) whites.There are these BMI-for-age. If race/ethnicity adults BMI, be difficult develop race-specific cut points fat.