This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.A large cross-sectional study of children attending a health care center serving the largest community of Native Hawaiians (NH) in Hawaii showed a very high prevalence of overweight. This was especially pronounced in NH and Samoan children. The cause, significance and consequence of this high overweight prevalence, however, is unclear. Children with a high body mass index (BMI) percentile for age are at high risk for adult obesity and obesity related illness. However, because there are no body composition studies on Samoan or NH children defining the degree of excess adiposity at high BMI, it is not known if their risk is similar. A study examining the relationship between body fat percent (BF%) and BMI will help define the Pacific Island (PI) children at risk for obesity, especially those who are overweight. Studies have reported that Polynesian adults are leaner at a given BMI than Caucasians suggesting that obesity risk may be different. The overall aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of conducting a large body composition study on children of different PI ethnicities.
The specific aims are 1) To examine the relationship between fat free mass (FFM) and BF% for a given BMI in Samoan, NH, Filipino and Caucasian children, 2) To develop mechanisms for estimating enrollment, creating community partnerships and recruiting participants, 3) To assess the effect size needed to assess FFM and BF% in a subsequent larger study.The study will be a cross sectional study on healthy NH, Samoan, Filipino and Caucasian children, 5 to 9.9 years of age. Participants will be recruited from the Waianae community of Oahu, home to a large Samoan community and the largest NH community. Fat free mass will be determined using foot-to-foot bioelectrical impedance analysis and the relationship between FFM, %BF and BMI examined.
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