American Journal of Human Biology
Volume 23, Issue 5, 2011, Pages 720-723

Body fat is differentially related to body mass index in U.S.-born African-American and East African immigrant girls (Article)

Meyer K.A.* , Demerath E.W. , Friend S. , Hannan P.J. , Neumark-Sztainer D.
  • a Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
  • b Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
  • c Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
  • d Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
  • e Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States

Abstract

Objective: To examine ethnic differences in adiposity at a given body mass index (BMI) in a sample of U.S.-born African-American and East African immigrant adolescent girls. Methods: In a sample of black adolescent girls (n = 79; ages 14-20) we compared measures of adiposity across the range of BMI-for-age among 55 U.S.-born African-American (mean BMI: 30.4; age: 15.4) and 24 East African immigrant girls (mean BMI: 21.8; age: 16.7). Fat and fat-free mass were assessed with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). We used spline regression to examine the distributions of fat mass index and percent body fat across the range of BMI-for-age z-scores. Results: Compared with African-American girls, East African girls were smaller on all body measures, but appeared to have higher fat mass index and percent body fat at the same BMI-for-age. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that at a given BMI East African immigrants may have greater adiposity than African-American girls. If corroborated in larger samples, our data suggest that the cardiometabolic risks attendant to elevated adiposity may affect East African girls at a lower BMI than in African-American girls. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

Adipose Tissue body composition photon absorptiometry Absorptiometry, Photon physiology nonparametric test Statistics, Nonparametric human obesity Minnesota ethnology United States Young Adult Humans Adolescent Emigrants and Immigrants female Adiposity Africa Article adult migration body mass Body Mass Index Africa, Eastern
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79961173912&doi=10.1002%2fajhb.21201&partnerID=40&md5=d6747aee1b451fa462f61d52c0785cde
DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.21201
ISSN: 10420533
Cited by: 4
Original Language: English