Racial/ethnic differences in weight perception

The objective of this research was to estimate the prevalence of weight misperception among adults using the most recent nationally representative data, according to measured weight category and to assess the relationship between weight misperception and race/ethnicity. Height and weight were measured as part of the 1999-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The study sample consisted of 17,270 adults aged >or=20 years. BMI was categorized as underweight (BMI < 18.5), healthy weight (18.5 </= BMI < 25), overweight (25 <or= BMI < 30), and obese (BMI >or= 30). Subjects reported self-perception of weight status. Among study subjects, 31.7% of healthy weight adults, 38.1% of overweight adults, and 8.1% of obese adults incorrectly perceived their weight category. Among obese men, the odds of weight misperception were higher for non-Hispanic blacks (odds ratio (OR) = 3.0; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.0-4.5) compared to non-Hispanic whites and for persons with less than a high school education (OR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.3-2.1), compared to those with some college education. Among obese women, the odds of weight misperception were higher for non-Hispanic blacks (OR = 3.4; 95% CI = 1.4, 3.1) and Mexican Americans (OR = 1.9; 95% CI = 1.2, 3.2) compared to non-Hispanic whites and for persons with less than high school education compared to those with some college education (OR = 5.5; 95% CI = 3.3-9.3). Weight misperception is highly prevalent in the US population, and more frequent in racial/ethnic minorities, males, and in persons with lower educational levels. Addressing the issue of weight misperception may help address the problem of obesity in the United States by increasing awareness of healthy weight levels, which may subsequently have an impact on weight-related behavior change.

Energy expenditure does not predict weight change in either Nigerian or African American women

BACKGROUND

The relation between variation in interindividual levels of energy expenditure and weight gain remains controversial.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether or not components of the energy budget predict weight change, we conducted an international comparative study in 2 cohorts of women from sociocultural environments that give rise to the extremes of obesity prevalence.

DESIGN

This was a prospective study with energy expenditure measured at baseline and weight measured annually for 3 y. Participants included 149 women from rural Nigeria and 172 African American women. The energy budget was determined by using respiratory gas exchange and doubly labeled water. Main outcomes included total, resting, and activity energy expenditure and physical activity level (ie, total energy expenditure/resting energy expenditure); baseline anthropometric measures; and annual weight change.

RESULTS

Mean body mass index (in kg/m(2)) was 23 among the Nigerians and 31 among the African Americans; the prevalences of obesity were 7% and 50%, respectively. After adjustment for body size, no differences in mean activity energy expenditure or physical activity level were observed between the 2 cohorts. In addition, in a mixed-effects, random-coefficient model, interindividual variation in activity energy expenditure at baseline was unrelated to the subsequent pattern of weight change.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that interindividual levels of energy expended during activity do not have a large influence on age-related trends in adiposity. In addition, contrary to expectations, these data suggest that mean activity energy expenditure does not vary substantially between contemporary social groups with low and high prevalences of obesity.

Increasing body weight and the transition from welfare to work: findings from the National Survey of American Life

OBJECTIVE

Few studies focus on employment outcomes for overweight and obese low-income women. We describe the relationship between body mass index and employment status among African American, Caribbean Black and White women who receive assistance through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Family program.

METHODS

This was a secondary analysis of data from the National Survey of American Life dataset. We analyzed a sample of 1039 community-dwelling adult women who reported that they received public assistance.

RESULTS

African Americans and Whites reported the highest rates of obesity, 45% and 48%, respectively. Logistic regression analyses for the entire sample revealed that being overweight or obese did not significantly predict employment status, controlling for known covariates. This aggregate effect concealed ethnic differences. African American women who were overweight (OR 1.60, P < .05) and Caribbean Black women who were obese (OR 3.41, P < .05) were more likely to be employed, but overweight White women (OR .09, P<.01) were less likely to be employed.

CONCLUSION

Overweight was as an employment barrier only to White women. By contrast, overweight African American women and obese Caribbean Black women were more likely than were women of a normal weight to be employed.

Active play and screen time in US children aged 4 to 11 years in relation to sociodemographic and weight status characteristics: a nationally representative cross-sectional analysis

BACKGROUND

The high prevalence of childhood obesity underscores the importance of monitoring population trends in children's activity and screen time, and describing associations with child age, gender, race/ethnicity, and weight status. Our objective was to estimate the proportion of young children in the US who have low levels of active play or high levels of screen time, or who have both these behaviors, and to describe associations with age, gender, race/ethnicity, and weight status.

METHODS

We analyzed data collected during the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2001-2004, a US nationally representative cross-sectional study. We studied 2964 children aged 4.00 to 11.99 years. Our main outcomes were reported weekly times that the child played or exercised hard enough to sweat or breathe hard (active play), daily hours the child watched television/videos, used computers, or played computer games (screen time), and the combination of low active play and high screen time. Low active play was defined as active play 6 times or less per week. High screen time was defined as more than 2 hours per day. We accounted for the complex survey design in analyses and report proportions and 95% confidence intervals. We used Wald Chi-square to test for differences between proportions. To identify factors associated with low active play and high screen time, we used multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

Of US children aged 4 to 11 years, 37.3% (95% confidence interval, 34.1% to 40.4%) had low levels of active play, 65.0% (95% CI, 61.4% to 68.5%) had high screen time, and 26.3% (95% CI, 23.8% to 28.9%) had both these behaviors. Characteristics associated with a higher probability of simultaneously having low active play and high screen time were older age, female gender, non-Hispanic black race/ethnicity, and having a BMI-for-age > or =95th percentile of the CDC growth reference.

CONCLUSION

Many young children in the US are reported to have physical activity and screen time behaviors that are inconsistent with recommendations for healthy pediatric development. Children who are overweight, approaching adolescence, girls, and non-Hispanic blacks may benefit most from public health policies and programs aimed at these behaviors.

Racial/ethnic differences in body fatness among children and adolescents

BACKGROUND

Although the BMI is widely used as a measure of adiposity, it is a measure of excess weight, and its association with body fatness may differ across racial or ethnic groups.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether differences in body fatness between white, black, Hispanic, and Asian children vary by BMI-for-age, and whether the accuracy of overweight (BMI-for-age>or=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 95th percentile) as an indicator of excess adiposity varies by race/ethnicity.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

Total body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) provided estimates of %body fat among 1,104 healthy 5- to 18-year-olds.

RESULTS

At equivalent levels of BMI-for-age, black children had less (mean, 3%) body fatness than white children, and Asian girls had slightly higher (1%) levels of %body fat than white girls. These differences, however, varied by BMI-for-age, with the excess body fatness of Asians evident only among relatively thin children. The ability of overweight to identify girls with excess body fatness also varied by race/ethnicity. Of the girls with excess body fatness, 89% (24/27) of black girls, but only 50% (8/16) of Asian girls, were overweight (P=0.03). Furthermore, the proportion of overweight girls who had excess body fatness varied from 62% (8/13) among Asians to 100% (13/13) among whites.

DISCUSSION

There are racial or ethnic differences in body fatness among children, but these differences vary by BMI-for-age. If race/ethnicity differences in body fatness among adults also vary by BMI, it may be difficult to develop race-specific BMI cut points to identify equivalent levels of %body fat.

BMI percentiles and body image discrepancy in black and white adolescents

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between body image discrepancy (BID) and weight status as measured by BMI percentiles (BMI%) among adolescents. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 265 adolescents at an urban clinic (females: 116 blacks and 63 whites; males: 62 blacks and 24 whites). BID was the difference between ideal and current body images selected from a 13-figure rating scale, and BMI% were calculated from measured weight and height. Regression analyses were conducted separately for girls and boys. Over half of the female and one-third of male adolescents wanted a thinner body. BID was positively related to BMI% with a one-unit increase in BID associated with a 4.84-unit increase in BMI% among females and a 3.88-unit increase in BMI% in males. Both female and male adolescents reported BID beginning at a BMI% corresponding to a normal weight. At zero BID, white females had a BMI% of 62.6, statistically different from black females (BMI% 69.7). At zero BID, white males had a mean BMI% of 69 and black males at a BMI% of 75.8, not statistically different. While black and white differences exist in BID, black female adolescents like their white counterparts are reporting BID at a weight range that is within the "normal". Our study portends the increase in BID with the increasing prevalence of obesity and highlights the need for interventions to help adolescents develop a healthy and realistic body image and healthy ways to manage their weight.

Race and gender differences in the relationships between anthropometrics and abdominal fat in youth

OBJECTIVE

We examined the influence of race and gender on abdominal adipose tissue (AT) distribution for a given anthropometric measure including waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-height (W/Ht) in youth.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

Subjects included healthy 62 black and 98 white youth. A single transverse image of the abdomen (L4-L5) was obtained using computed tomography.

RESULTS

For a given BMI, there was a significant (P<0.05) main effect of race and sex on the relationship between BMI and WC, such that boys and whites had a higher WC than girls and blacks. There was a significant (P<0.05) main effect and interaction effect of gender on the relationship between WC and visceral AT, such that boys had a higher visceral AT than girls, and the difference was magnified with increasing WC. For a given WC, black boys and girls had higher abdominal subcutaneous AT (SAT) than white peers, wherein the magnitude of the difference is increased with increasing WC. For a given W/Ht, black boys had significantly (P<0.05) lower visceral AT than white boys, but with no difference in girls. Black boys and girls had higher SAT than white peers, wherein the magnitude of the difference is increased with increasing W/Ht.

DISCUSSION

Our findings demonstrate a significant race and gender differential in the abdominal AT distribution for a given BMI, WC, WHR, and W/Ht. Future studies should take these differences into consideration when developing race- and gender-specific anthropometric cut-offs for obesity and obesity-related health risks in youth.

Sex difference in heritability of BMI in South Korean adolescent twins

Twin studies of BMI on the basis of Asian twins are extremely rare. Eight hundred eighty-eight pairs of twins [279 monozygotic (MZ) and 82 dizygotic (DZ) pairs of male twins, 319 MZ and 82 DZ pairs of female twins, and 126 opposite-sex pairs of DZ twins] completed items concerning height and weight through a mail and a telephone survey. A general sex-limitation model was applied to the data. Heritability estimate was greater among women than among men. However, there was little evidence of sex-specific genes. Under the best-fitting model, additive genetic variances were 82% [95% confidence interval (CI): 72% to 95%] for men and 87% (95% CI: 77% to 99%) for women; shared environmental variances were negligible in both men and women. These estimates of genetic and environmental factors in BMI found among South Korean adolescent twins were broadly in the range of those reported in previous studies of BMI based on Western twin samples.

[The WHO Child Growth Standards for children under 5 years]

BACKGROUND

In 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the new global WHO Child Growth Standards for children under five years. The rationale for developing this new growth standard was that a review of the NCHS/WHO-reference, which had been recommended for international use since 1978, showed that the growth of breast-fed infants deviated negatively from this reference. Most children included in the NCHS/WHO-reference from 1978 were fed mainly with infant formula.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

A growth reference describes

HOW

children without a diagnosed disease grow. The WHO Child Growth Standards document how children SHOULD: grow when they are raised in healthy environments, are breastfed and not exposed to tobacco through their mother. The standard was developed on the basis of a multi-ethnic sample with participants from Norway, USA, Brazil, Oman, Ghana and India.

RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION

The WHO Child Growth Standards describe how healthy children grow when key health and environmental needs are met. The new growth standards documents that children with different ethnic backgrounds grow very similarly under equal conditions. The WHO Child Growth Standards are an important tool for prevention and early recognition of overweight, as well as growth faltering and wasting.

Age variations in anthropometric and body composition characteristics and undernutrition among female Bathudis: a tribal population of Keonjhar District, Orissa, India

A cross-sectional study of 183 female Bathudis, a tribal population of the Keonjhar District, Orissa, India, was undertaken to investigate age variations in anthropometric and body composition characteristics and nutritional status. The subjects were categorized into three age groups: < or =30 years, 31-50 years, >50 years. Height, weight, circumferences and skinfolds data were collected. Body mass index (BMI) and several body composition variables and indices were derived using standard equations. The results revealed that there existed significant negative age variations for most of the anthropometric and body composition variables and indices. Correlation studies of age with these variables and indices revealed significant negative correlations. Linear regression analyses revealed that for all variables, age had a significant negative impact. Studies on the nutritional status of these women revealed that with increasing age, there was an increase in the frequency of undernutrition. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that among Bathudi women, age was significantly negatively related with anthropometric and body composition variables and indices. Moreover, with increasing age, the level of undernutrition increased.

BMI in Japanese children since 1948: no evidence of a major rise in the prevalence of obesity in Japan

The dramatic world-wide trend towards increasing body weight seems to be less obvious in the Japanese population. The aim of this study is to extract potentially useful information regarding childhood and adolescence obesity in Japan from series of mean height and mean body mass index between 1948 and 2003. Mean values for height and weight of Japanese boys and girls aged 5+ to 17+ years were obtained from the "Reports on School Health Survey", Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, comprising approximately 4.5% of all children and adolescents in Japan between 1948 and 2003. The data were fitted by the Preece and Baines model (Preece & Baines 1978) in order to obtain estimates of the age of peak height velocity (APHV) and final height. Isochrones for height and BMI were calculated based upon measurements that were obtained at the same chronological ages at different historic epochs. The APHV as estimated by Preece & Baines (1978) has decreased from 14.07 to 12.03 years in Japanese boys, and from 11.80 to 9.92 years in Japanese girls, indicating that the tempo of child and adolescent maturation (maturational tempo) has accelerated. Body height increased by 10.1 cm in near adult 17+ year old Japanese males and by 5.7 cm in 17+ year old Japanese females since 1948. Due to the acceleration and the earlier attainment of adult stature, isochrones for height tend to diverge for prepubertal ages and to converge for postpubertal ages. The same is true for weight. Body weight has increased by 11.8 kg in near adult males, and by 4.4 kg in near adult females. Also BMI has increased since 1948. But in contrast to height and weight, the rise in BMI only reflects the acceleration of the maturational tempo. Tempo-conditioned isochrones for BMI are almost horizontal, and even tended to temporarily decrease during the 60ies and the 70's. The BMI of Japanese children and adolescents dramatically contrasts the recent and historic BMI changes in the Western populations. The present study provides no evidence of any major rise in the prevalence of obesity in Japan as expressed by mean BMI for age and time of birth, and suggests that Japanese children and adolescents may be more resistant against those environmental factors that have caused obesity in the affluent Western societies.

Reference values for height, weight and body mass index of German born Turkish children

Turkish children and adolescents born in Northern Europe grow different from native Northern European children, but reference values for height, weight and BMI for these children do not exist. With this study, we intend to provide growth standards for German born Turkish children. Data were obtained from 797 Turkish children and adolescents born in Germany age 0-25.8 years (males), respectively 0-18.3 years (females). We generated synthetic reference values for height, weight, and BMI. The results show that Turkish children and adolescents are heavier after the age of 6 years, and that they remain short after puberty. Eighteen year old Turkish men, and 15-year-old Turkish women are shorter (males 175.2 cm vs. 180.4 cm, p < 0.05; females 159.3 cm vs. 165.0 cm, p < 0.05), and heavier than Germans. Six out of 53 young Turkish men and 9 out of 100 young Turkish women were obese. Twelve out of 53 young Turkish men (23%) and 18 out of 100 young Turkish women (18%) have fallen below the 3rd centile for height. It can be concluded that growth of Turkish children and adolescents born in Germany significantly differs from native children. Reference LMS values for body height, weight and BMI of German born Turkish boys and girls are presented.

Ethnic differences in BMI, weight concerns, and eating behaviors: comparison of Native American, White, and Hispanic adolescents

Evidence suggests that substantial proportions of adolescents, regardless of ethnicity or gender, are engaged in excessive weight control behaviors. Crago and Shisslak (2003), however, have noted that small samples and poorly validated instruments have limited the value of previous ethnic difference studies. Using the McKnight Risk Factor Survey, we compared Native American, White, and Hispanic adolescents. Native students were divided into groups with one (NA-mixed) or two (NA) Native American biological parents. Surveys were completed by 5th through 10th grade students. BMI z-scores were significantly higher for boys and girls in the NA group, and boys in this group were significantly more engaged in weight control behaviors, including purging. A higher percentage of Native and Hispanic girls preferred a larger body size. BMI was positively correlated with weight and shape concerns and with weight control behaviors, regardless of ethnicity or gender. Overweight among Native adolescents may put them at greater risk for eating problems than their White peers.

[Anthropometric patterns in non-Caucasian full-term neonates of African, Moroccan and South American origin born in Catalonia (Spain)]

INTRODUCTION

The rise in immigration to Spain in recent decades has increased the number of non-Caucasian newborns in our environment. The aims of this study were to establish normal intrauterine development values for weight, length and head circumference in a population of non-Caucasian full-term newborns (FTN).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We studied 2,444 healthy full-term singleton newborns (37-42 weeks' gestational age; 1,230 boys, 1,214 girls) with the following ethnic origins: black (n =1,257; 622 boys, 635 girls), Moroccan (n =520; 297 boys, 223 girls) and South-American (n =667; 356 boys, 311 girls). Mean values and standard deviations were estimated for each week of gestation for sex and race and these values were compared with those of a Spanish population of the same gestational age and sex.

RESULTS

Anthropometric values in black FTN were similar to those of the Catalan population. By contrast, these values were higher in Moroccans and South-American FTN than in the native population. Statistically-significant differences were observed in all the parameters evaluated from the 38th week of gestation in full-term Moroccan newborns compared with the reference population. Statistically significant differences were observed in full-term South-American newborns from the 38th week of gestation in girls and from the 40th week in boys. The presence of sexual dimorphism in the anthropometric patterns evaluated was not constant at all the gestational ages evaluated.

CONCLUSIONS

Anthropometric patterns of the Spanish Caucasian FTN population are not extrapolable to FTN of other ethnicities.

Racial influences associated with weight-related beliefs in African American and Caucasian women

This study examines African American and Caucasian women's perception of how race affects their weight. Structured focus groups that used the nominal group technique (NGT) were conducted with four groups of African American women (n = 30) and four groups of Caucasian women (n = 30). Participants generated responses to the question, "How does being a Black/White woman affect your weight?" The African American groups generated 48 unique ideas, including unhealthy food preparation, poor food selection habits, lack of exercise, stress, increased risk of chronic diseases, and associated medical costs; the Caucasian groups produced 32 responses, including distorted expectations of perfect body type, success depended on thinness and beauty, social pressures, media, and men's preferences. Results suggest that the African American women focused on food choices and health consequences while the Caucasian women emphasized body size and aesthetics. The observed differences support a need for culturally specific interventions that promote good eating patterns and healthy body shapes.

Population Pharmacokinetics of??Levetiracetam in Japanese and??Western Adults

OBJECTIVE

To assess the population pharmacokinetics of levetiracetam, a second-generation antiepileptic drug, in adult Japanese and Western populations.

METHODS

Data were pooled from ten matched clinical trials conducted in Japan and in Europe and the USA, in which levetiracetam was administered orally to healthy subjects and subjects with epilepsy. Overall, 5408 plasma concentrations were available from 524 subjects in six clinical pharmacology studies and two confirmatory and two long-term safety studies of add-on treatment for partial epilepsy. A one-compartment open model with first-order absorption and elimination was fitted to the plasma concentrations using nonlinear mixed-effects modelling with first-order estimation.

RESULTS

Ethnicity had no statistically significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of levetiracetam in the presence of the other covariates. Bodyweight, sex, creatinine clearance and concomitant intake of enzyme inducers or valproic acid had a statistically significant effect on apparent plasma clearance of levetiracetam. Bodyweight, disease and valproic acid had a statistically significant effect on the volume of distribution. Levetiracetam exposure (the area under the plasma concentration-time curve over the 12-hour dosing interval at steady state) was 12% higher in females than in males. Decreasing bodyweight from 70 kg to 40 kg was predicted to increase exposure by 16%, while halving creatinine clearance was predicted to increase exposure by 10%. Enzyme inducers reduced exposure by 8%, while valproic acid resulted in a 23% increase in exposure. The latter effect was assumed to arise from the known association between valproic acid and increased body fat, since levetiracetam is negligibly metabolised by cytochrome P450 enzymes.

CONCLUSIONS

Population pharmacokinetic analysis points to the absence of ethnic differences in the pharmacokinetics of levetiracetam between Japanese and Western populations, other than those arising from bodyweight differences. Small, clinically non-relevant differences between individual demographic characteristics suggest that dose adjustment is usually not necessary.

Prevalence estimates of overweight and obesity in Cree preschool children in northern Quebec according to international and US reference criteria

OBJECTIVES

We estimated the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Cree Canadian children aged 5 years (n=1044) using international and US growth references and examined the longitudinal tracking of weight categories between ages 2 and 5 years (n=562).

METHODS

Weight categories based on body mass index (calculated from measured heights and weights) were derived from the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) references.

RESULTS

According to the IOTF reference, 52.9% of children were overweight (31.6%) or obese (21.3%) whereas with the CDC reference, 64.9% were overweight (27.5%) or obese (37.4%). The IOTF and CDC references provided dissimilar tracking of weight categories. Based on the IOTF reference, 4.9% of the children who were normal weight at age 2 years were obese at age 5 years. Based on the CDC reference, 14.9% of children categorized as normal weight at age 2 years were obese at age 5 years.

CONCLUSIONS

The IOTF reference provided more conservative estimates of obesity than the CDC reference, and longitudinal analyses showed dissimilar tracking of weight categories with the 2 references. Public health responses to obesity prevalence estimates should be made with awareness of methodological limitations.

Racial residential segregation and weight status among US adults

While the segmentation of residential areas by race is well known to affect the social and economic well-being of the segregated minority group in the United States, the relationship between segregation and health has received less attention. This study examines the association between racial residential segregation, as measured by the isolation index, and individual weight status in US metropolitan areas. Multi-level, nationally representative data are used to consider the central hypothesis that segregation is positively associated with weight status among African Americans, a group that is hyper-segregated and disproportionately affected by unhealthy weight outcomes. Results show that among non-Hispanic blacks, higher racial isolation is positively associated with both a higher body mass index (BMI) and greater odds of being overweight, adjusting for multiple covariates, including measures of individual socioeconomic status. An increase of one standard deviation in the isolation index is associated with a 0.423 unit increase in BMI (p < 0.01), and a 14% increase in the odds of being overweight (p < 0.01). Among whites, there is no significant association between the isolation index and weight status. These findings suggest that in addition to differences among people, differences among places and, in particular, differences in the spatial organization of persons may be relevant to health policy and promotion efforts.

Obesity among female adolescents in Vienna, Austria-the impact of childhood weight status and ethnicity

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the study was to analyse prevalence of overweight and obesity among migrant girls in Vienna, Austria, starting at the age of 6 years up to the age of 15 years.

DESIGN

In a longitudinal study, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among migrant girls from Turkey and former Yugoslavia was documented and compared with that among Austrian girls in Vienna.

SETTING

Medical investigation of medical school authority in Viennese schools.

SAMPLE

Seven hundred and ninety girls of low socio-economic status were included in the study.

METHODS

Anthropometric data were collected at the age of 6, 10 and 15 years. Body mass was estimated by means of the body mass index (BMI), and percentile curves were used for determining the weight status.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Stature, body weight, BMI, weight status.

RESULTS

The prevalence of overweight and obesity was significantly higher among migrant girls at all age groups. The highest percentage of overweight was found among 10-year-old girls from Yugoslavia (nearly 35%) and the lowest percentage of overweight was exhibited in 6-year-old Austrian girls (20%). Being overweight or obese at the age of 6 years increased the risk of being overweight at 10 and 15 years significantly (P < 0.001). Among migrants, this risk was significantly higher than among Austrian girls (P < 0.001). Only 64.8% of Austrian girls, who were overweight/obese at the age of 6 years, were still classified as overweight at the age of 15 years. Among migrant girls, who were overweight at the age of 6 years, 72.0% (Turkish girls) and 78.3% (Yugoslavian girls) remained overweight until the age of 15 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Especially girls from former Yugoslavia but also Turkish girls exhibited high rates of overweight and obesity. Prevention should start as early as possible since overweight tends to persist from childhood into adolescence.

Physical activity ratio of selected activities in Indian male and female subjects and its relationship with body mass index

The physical activity level of an individual can be determined by assigning physical activity ratios (PAR) to different activities. The PAR is the ratio of the energy expended in a particular activity and the BMR, and is thought to be independent of body weight. PAR values of selected activities in Indian male and female subjects were measured and their association with BMI was assessed. The BMR and energy cost of selected activities were measured in thirty male and thirty female subjects in the age group of 20-40 years, who were categorised into different groups of BMI. The PAR values of the underweight male subjects were significantly lower than the overweight subjects for activities such as walking at 3.2 and 4.8 km/h and walking at 3.2 km/h with a 5 kg load. In the female subjects, the underweight subjects had significantly lower PAR values for floor swabbing, and walking at 3.2 and 4.8 km/h when compared with overweight females. The mean data of the male and female subjects of the present study were slightly but significantly different to the previously reported FAO, WHO and United Nations University values and other compilations. The BMI was significantly correlated with the PAR value of the studied activities. In India, where a large proportion of the population have BMI below 18.5 and above 25 kg/m2, considerations of the influence of body weight and BMI on PAR become important in accurately determining total energy expenditure.

Validity of new child-specific thoracic gas volume prediction equations for air-displacement plethysmography

BACKGROUND

To determine the validity of the recently developed child-specific thoracic gas volume (TGV) prediction equations for use in air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) in diverse pediatric populations.

METHODS

Three distinct populations were studied: European American and African American children living in Birmingham, Alabama and European children living in Lisbon, Portugal. Each child completed a standard ADP testing protocol, including a measured TGV according to the manufactures software criteria. Measured TGV was compared to the predicted TGV from current adult-based ADP proprietary equations and to the recently developed child-specific TGV equations of Fields et al. Similarly, percent body fat, derived using the TGV prediction equations, was compared to percent body fat derived using measured TGV.

RESULTS

Predicted TGV from adult-based equations was significantly different from measured TGV in girls from each of the three ethnic groups (P < 0.05), however child-specific TGV estimates did not significantly differ from measured TGV in any of the ethnic or gender groups. Percent body fat estimates using adult-derived and child-specific TGV estimates did not differ significantly from percent body fat measures using measured TGV in any of the groups.

CONCLUSION

The child-specific TGV equations developed by Fields et al. provided a modest improvement over the adult-based TGV equations in an ethnically diverse group of children.

Pregnancy outcomes of First Nations women in relation to pregravid weight and pregnancy weight gain

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effect of pregravid weight and pregnancy weight gain on pregnancy outcomes in Cree women.

METHODS

We reviewed maternal and infant outcomes of the first pregnancy in Cree women living in James Bay, Quebec, from 1994 to 2000. We examined data from women who had a full-term singleton birth and a maternal pregravid body mass index (BMI) > or = 18.5 kg/m2 and whose weight had been recorded in the first trimester and within one month prior to delivery. Weight in the first trimester was used to estimate pregravid BMI.

RESULTS

Data were available for 603 women. At the beginning of pregnancy, 23.1% of the women had normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2), 27.9% were overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2), and 49.1% were obese (BMI > or = 30 kg/m2). Nearly one-half of the women gained excessive weight in pregnancy. Adverse outcomes were less common in women with a normal pregravid BMI than in women with a pregravid BMI in the overweight or obese range. Obese women with excessive weight gain had a higher prevalence of preeclampsia (14.9%) than obese women with low (3.7%) or acceptable (6.3%) weight gain; however, obese women with excessive weight gain had a lower prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus.

CONCLUSION

Interventions must be developed to prevent pregravid obesity and excessive weight gain in pregnancy in Cree women to improve maternal and fetal outcomes.