Body fat differences among US youth aged 8–19 by race and Hispanic origin, 2011–2018
Crescent B. Martin, Bryan Stierman, Jack A. Yanovski, Craig M. Hales, Neda Sarafrazi, Cynthia L. Ogden
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The association between body mass index (BMI) and adiposity differs by race/ethnicity. OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in adiposity by race/Hispanic origin among US youth and explore how those differences relate to differences in BMI using the most recent national data, including non-Hispanic Asian youth. METHODS: Weight, height and DXA-derived fat mass index (FMI) and percentage body fat (%BF) from 6923 youth 8-19 years in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2018 were examined. Age-adjusted mean BMI, FMI and %BF were reported. Sex-specific linear regression models predicting %BF and FMI were adjusted for age, BMI category and BMI category*race/Hispanic origin interaction. RESULTS: %BF was highest among Hispanic males (28.2%) and females (35.7%). %BF was lower among non-Hispanic Black (23.9%) compared with non-Hispanic White (26.0%) and non-Hispanic Asian (26.6%) males. There was no difference between non-Hispanic Black females (32.7%) and non-Hispanic White (33.2%) or non-Hispanic Asian (32.7%) females. FMI was higher among Hispanic youth compared with non-Hispanic White youth. Among youth with underweight/healthy weight, predicted %BF and FMI were lower among non-Hispanic Black males (-2.8%; -0.5) and females (-2.0%; -0.3), compared with non-Hispanic White youth, and higher among Hispanic males (0.9%; 0.2) and females (2.0%; 0.5), while %BF but not FMI was higher among non-Hispanic Asian males (1.3%) and females (1.4%). Among females with obesity, non-Hispanic Asian females had lower %BF (-2.3%) and FMI (-1.7) than non-Hispanic White females. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in %BF and FMI by race/Hispanic origin were not consistent by BMI category among US youth in 2011-2018.