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Waist-to-height ratios in relation to BMI z-scores in three ethnic groups from a representative sample of New Zealand children aged 5–14 years

International Journal of Obesity volume 34, pages 1188–1190 (2010)Cite this article

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Abstract

Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) is purported to offer a simpler index of health risk than body mass index (BMI) in children as it requires no adjustment for age or sex. Little is known regarding the usefulness of WHtR in different ethnic groups. The aim of this study was to compare the WHtR cutpoints associated with BMI definitions of overweight and obesity in a nationally representative sample of New Zealand children. Height, weight and waist circumference were measured in 3006 children (51.5% male) aged 5–14 years (n=1107 Māori, n=985 Pacific and n=924 New Zealand European and Others (NZEO)). A WHtR >0.5 was more common in Pacific (43.4%) and Māori (33.1%) children than in NZEO children (20.8%, P<0.001), with 25.6% of children overall being above this cutoff. Although ethnicity influenced the relationship between BMI and WHtR (P<0.01), differences were clinically insignificant as illustrated by the similarity in WHtR values for a given BMI (WHtR of 0.47 in Māori, 0.46 in Pacific and 0.48 in European boys at the 85th BMI percentile). The present results suggest that having WHtR values >0.5 should be equally useful in evaluating cardiovascular health risks in groups of Māori, Pacific and NZEO children.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the children and parents who participated in the Children's Nutrition Survey 2002. The principal investigators for this survey were from the University of Otago (Winsome Parnell, Noela Wilson), University of Auckland (David Schaaf, Robert Scragg) and Massey University (Eljon Fitzgerald).

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  1. Departments of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Human Nutrition, and Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    A Goulding, R W Taylor, A M Grant, W R Parnell, N C Wilson & S M Williams

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  1. A Goulding
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  2. R W Taylor
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  3. A M Grant
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  4. W R Parnell
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  5. N C Wilson
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  6. S M Williams
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Correspondence to R W Taylor.

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Goulding, A., Taylor, R., Grant, A. et al. Waist-to-height ratios in relation to BMI z-scores in three ethnic groups from a representative sample of New Zealand children aged 5–14 years. Int J Obes 34, 1188–1190 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2009.278

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2009.278

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