comparison of body Mass Index (bMI) categories based on Asian and universal Standards and language Spoken at home among Asian American university Students

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 nonacculturated females, while acculturated males tended to have lower BMIs than non-acculturated males. Discussion: Utilization of Asian-specific BMI cutoffs will significantly increase the reported prevalence of overweight and obesity among Asians. Acculturation to the United States may be a risk factor for overweight/obesity especially among Asian females. Translation to Health Education Practice: Asian-specific BMI cutoffs may be appropriate in clinical settings, given that overweight-obesity related conditions occur at relatively lower rates of BMI and BF% among Asians. Ng T, McMahan S, Moutappa M, Tanjasiri SP, Beam W. Comparison of Body Mass Index (BMI) categories based on Asian and universal standards and language spoken at home among Asian American university students Am J Health Educ. 2009;40(1):37-44. This paper was submitted to the Journal on August 8, 2007, revised and accepted for publication on September 30, 2008. Research Article