A health forum today will discuss the need for a different body mass index (BMI) classification for Asians.
It says health professions are telling many Asians their weight is normal when they are overweight.
Asians have between 4 and 5 per cent more body fat, and have a greater risk
of illness and death than Europeans of the same size, said forum organiser Vishal Rishi.
BMI is a measurement that divides people's weight in kilograms by their height squared in metres.
"Readings between 18.5 to 24.9 are considered normal for Europeans, but at 24.9, an Asian would be considered to be on the verge of being obese," said Mr Rishi, programme manager for the Asian Network.
A healthy BMI for Asians is 18.5 to 22.9, and not the 18.5 to 24.9 which is the standard for New Zealand.
Obesity in Asians starts at a BMI of 26, rather than 30.
"I have a BMI of 23.5 and until two years ago, I thought I was perfectly healthy because the doctor told me so," said Mr Rishi.
"Because we don't have different classifications for different ethnic groups in New Zealand, many Asians here are being told that their BMI is acceptable and normal when it is not."
Even with the same BMI, the risks among Asians varied, Mr Rishi said.
Indians were at a slightly higher risk than Koreans or Chinese.
The seventh annual Asian forum in Mt Albert this morning will also address issues of diet, exercise and mental health, particularly in the South Asian and Indian communities.
The network, together with the University of Auckland, have been given a government grant of $270,000 to run a two-year Healthy Eating Healthy Action programme focusing on South Asians in the Avondale and Mt Roskill areas.
"There is a worry that the high-carbo, high-fat, low-fibre diet of South Asians here will lead to a major health and obesity problem in the community," Mr Rishi said.
British researchers at Oxford University found that being obese can shorten life by up to 10 years.
Mr Rishi said the network would seek funding to extend the Healthy Eating Healthy Action programme Auckland-wide and to other Asian communities.
