Comparison of Body Mass Index (BMI) Categories Based on Asian and Universal Standards and Language Spoken at Home among Asian American University Students

Autor: Shari McMahan, Tiffany Ng, Sora Park Tanjasiri, William C. Beam, Michele Mouttapa
Rok vydání: 2009
Předmět:
Zdroj: American Journal of Health Education. 40:37-44
ISSN: 2168-3751
1932-5037
DOI: 10.1080/19325037.2009.10599077
Popis: Background: The World Health Organization released lower Body Mass Index (BMI) cutoff points for Asian individuals to account for increased body fat percentage (BF%) and risk of obesity-related conditions at a lower body mass index. Purpose: This preliminary study: (1) explores the impact of utilizing Asian BMI standards (compared to universal standards) on the overweight/obese categorization of Asian females and males; and (2) determines whether age, gender, acculturation, and living arrangements are associated with BMI and BF%. Methods: Data on demographic variables, height and weight, BF%, living situation, and language spoken at home were collected from 170 Asian students enrolled in a health course at a public university in California. Results: When Asian BMI cutoffs were applied, categorization of Asian males and females as normal weight decreased significantly. Language spoken at home was not significantly associated with BMI; however, acculturated females tended to have higher BMIs than n...
Databáze: OpenAIRE