Insufficient evidence to support separate BMI definitions for obesity in children and adolescents from south Asian ethnic groups in the UK [Erratum: 2010 May, v. 34, no. 5, p. 945]

• Published in: International Journal of Obesity 2010-04, Vol.34 (4), p.656-658
• Main Authors: Viner, R.M, Cole, T.J, Fry, T, Gupta, S, Kinra, S, McCarthy, D, Saxena, S, Taylor, S, Wells, J.C.K, Whincup, P, Zaman, M.J.S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adiposity; Adolescent; adolescent nutrition; Adolescents; Adults; anthropometric measurements; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - ethnology; Asian people; Biological and medical sciences; Blacks; Body composition; Body Composition - physiology; Body fat; Body Fat Distribution; Body Mass Index; Cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - ethnology; Child; child nutrition; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Childrens health; Complications and side effects; Cultural differences; Demographic aspects; Epidemiology; ethnic differences; Ethnic Groups; Ethnicity; Female; General aspects; Health aspects; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Health sciences; human diseases; Humans; Internal Medicine; International Obesity Task Force (IOTF); Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Metabolism; Minority & ethnic groups; nationalities and ethnic groups; nutrition assessment; Obesity; Obesity - classification; Obesity - epidemiology; Obesity - ethnology; Obesity in adolescence; Obesity in children; Overweight; pediatric-expert-report; Pediatrics; Public Health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; reference standards; Risk Factors; Southeast Asians; Teenagers; United Kingdom - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0307-0565; 1476-5497
• DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2009.237

Re-evaluation of adult obesity thresholds in some ethnic groups has led to the questioning of childhood obesity thresholds. An expert group was convened to examine the representativeness of childhood obesity definitions, evidence for ethnic differences in body composition in UK children and the extent of misclassification of adiposity by current body mass index (BMI) thresholds in south Asian and black groups. The group concluded that the current International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) definitions remained the most appropriate for use in the United Kingdom, but further research was needed on the relationship of body shape, fat mass, metabolic markers and ethnicity in children and adolescents.