Asian children risk obesity

Low levels of physical activity are putting Asian children at increased risk of obesity

Asian children have the lowest levels of physical activity among New Zealand schoolchildren and Indian children have the highest levels of body fat, says AUT PhD scholar Scott Duncan.

Scott presented his Body-size and Steps in Children (BASIC) Study findings at the Asian Women’s Health Symposium in Auckland. The study involved 1200 primary school children.

He found that although Indian children are among the lightest for their height, they had the highest body fat.

“Indian people also have a tendency to store fat around the middle as opposed to the hips, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.”

The low level of physical activity among Asian children is attributed to the emphasis on academic achievement, but there are other factors.

“Asian people tend to have less muscle mass and smaller frames. This makes Asian children comparatively lighter, and they will often not be picked up as being overweight or obese.”

Scott’s wife and fellow AUT PhD candidate Elizabeth Duncan is also researching young people’s health. Her study involves 1000 adolescent girls from across New Zealand’s major ethnic groups.Similar to Scott’s results, Elizabeth’s preliminary findings show Asian adolescent girls have the lowest levels of activity.

“Indian adolescent girls also have the highest levels of body fat,” she says. “However, the body fatness of Pacific Island girls is also a concern, so it seems patterns observed in childhood continue into adolescence.”