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An AUT University researcher has found the Body Mass Index (BMI) is not an accurate way to measure obesity levels in adolescent girls from different ethnic backgrounds.
PhD student Elizabeth Duncan said some ethnic groups such as Pacific Islanders and Maori had, on average, greater muscle mass and heavier connective tissues which meant they were over represented in obesity statistics.
Conversely, Asians tended to have more body fat at a given height and weight.
Mrs Duncan said while the measures should be adjusted according to ethnicity, doing so did not have a huge impact on the results.
She said Pacific Islanders and, to a lesser extent, Maori still showed higher levels of obesity.
The study involved 1081 adolescent girls aged between 11-16 and asked them to answer a series of questions on their body image and health.
Mrs Duncan said the most alarming finding was that many girls with excess body fat were unable to recognise their condition.
She said this may be due to a lack of discussion about obesity as the subject was still relatively taboo.
"Interventions and educational campaigns that assist girls in recognising the danger signs of obesity are a priority for all ethnic groups," she said.
Girls were also asked about how much time they spent doing physical activities.
Most girls were significantly less active during weekends and activity levels dropped as girls grew older.
Ethnicity also had an impact on sportiness with Maori girls the most active and South Asians the least.
- NZPA
