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Body fat distribution in Alaskan Eskimos of the Bering Straits region: the Alaskan Siberia Project

International Journal of Obesity volume 24, pages 171–179 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe the body fat content and distribution of adult Alaska Natives of the Bering Straits Region.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional screening in the spring of 1994.

SUBJECTS: 454 non-pregnant native residents from four rural Alaskan villages.

MEASUREMENTS: Height, weight, waist, hip and thigh circumference, bioelectrical impedance, sagittal abdominal diameter, and triceps, biceps, suprailiac, subscapular and thigh skinfolds.

RESULTS: Mean height, weight and subscapular-to-triceps ratio were higher in men than women. The women had larger waist, hip and thigh circumferences, higher body fatness, as well as larger skinfolds than the men. There were no demonstrable differences between men and women in measures of body fat distribution. The proportions of women and men with high waist-to-hip ratio (≥0.8 for women, ≥0.9 for men) for low (<25 kg/m2), medium (25–30 kg/m2) and high (>30 kg/m2) body mass index (BMI) groups were compared with a Canadian study of all races.1 In the lowest BMI subgroup (<25 kg/m2) a much higher proportion of Eskimo women exhibited a high waist-to-hip ratio (91%) than Eskimo men (42%) or Canadian women (29%) or men (51%). In the highest BMI subgroup (>30 kg/m2) Eskimo women were similar in proportion of high waist-to-hip ratio (99%) compared to Eskimo men (100%), but still demonstrated a much greater proportion of subjects with high waist-to-hip ratio than either Canadian men (90%) or women (76%).

CONCLUSIONS: The large abdominal fat depots found in Eskimo women were similar to men, and may indicate that future increases in diabetes mellitus and other metabolic alterations can be anticipated.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grant DK47099 from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive Diseases to Sven OE Ebbesson. The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Indian Health Service. The authors of this paper wish to thank the residents of the participating communities for their gracious hospitality, and for their extensive efforts in participating in this project. We wish to acknowledge Ann Marie Mayer, ANP, MPH and Amanda Adler, MD, PhD for their roles in organizing and implementing the screening clinic. We would like to thank anthropometric measurers Noemi Epstein and Sue Shattuck for their time and expertise.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alaska Siberia Medical Research Program, University of Alaska, Seward, 99664, AK

    PM Risica, SOE Ebbesson & CD Schraer

  2. The Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, 99508, AK

    PM Risica & CD Schraer

  3. The Johns Hopkins University, Center for Human Nutrition, Baltimore, 21205, MD

    PM Risica & BH Caballero

  4. Alaska Native Medical Center, Diabetes Program, Indian Health Service, Anchorage, 99501, AK

    CD Schraer

  5. Alaska Area Native Health Service, Nutrition Services, Indian Health Service, Anchorage, 99501, AK, USA

    ED Nobmann

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Correspondence to PM Risica.

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Risica, P., Ebbesson, S., Schraer, C. et al. Body fat distribution in Alaskan Eskimos of the Bering Straits region: the Alaskan Siberia Project. Int J Obes 24, 171–179 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801103

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