Asians and Pacific Islanders and the growing childhood obesity epidemic

To investigate differences in childhood overweight and obesity prevalence among Asian/Pacific Islander (API) subgroups.

Cross-sectional secondary data analysis.

California public school children participating in an annual state-mandated physical fitness testing program which included measured height and weight.

5th, 7th and 9th grade students attending public schools in Los Angeles County (LAC) in 2006 and 2007 (n=670,352).

Overweight and obesity prevalence, where overweight is categorized between the 85th to <95th BMI-forage percentile, and obese is defined at the 95th BMI-for-age percentile and above according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Growth Charts.

The overall prevalence of obesity among LAC students was 22.9%, and was 19.4% for overweight. For API students, the prevalence of obesity was markedly different between Asians and Pacific Islanders (PIs) (12.1% vs. 35.6%, P<0.01). Obesity also differed noticeably among ethnic subgroups, ranging from 8.4% to 17.5% among Asians, and from 17.2% to 48.6% among PIs. The prevalence of overweight students ranged from 12.8% to 17.3% among Asians and from 16.4% to 21.1% among PIs.

Childhood obesity and overweight prevalence in the API population varies widely among ethnic subgroups, strongly indicating a need for disaggregating data relating to APIs. Recognizing the heterogeneity of the API population will allow more effective prioritization of community intervention and outreach efforts within API communities and improve recognition and treatment by healthcare providers of API children who may be at higher risk for obesity.