Ethnic differences in the association between body mass index and hypertension.
Interest in ethnicity-specific definitions of obesity has been hindered by a lack of data clarifying whether or not obesity-related comorbid conditions occur at different levels of body mass index (BMI) (weight (kg)/height (m)(2)) in different ethnic groups. The objective of this study was to examine ethnic differences in the strength of the association between BMI and hypertension. Cross-sectional data obtained from adults aged 30-65 years in China (1997, n = 3,423), the Philippines (1998, n = 1,929), and the United States (1988-1994, n = 7,957) were used. Higher BMI was associated with a higher prevalence of hypertension in all ethnic groups. However, at BMI levels less than 25, prevalence difference figures suggested a stronger association between BMI and hypertension in Chinese men and women but not in Filipino women, compared with non-Hispanic Whites. Non-Hispanic Blacks and Filipino women had a higher prevalence of hypertension at every level of BMI compared with non-Hispanic Whites and Mexican Americans. These ethnic differences in the strength of association between BMI and hypertension and in underlying prevalence warrant further investigation into the use of ethnicity-specific BMI cutoffs in clinical settings to more accurately identify individuals at risk from obesity.
Colin Bell
A
A
Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, and the Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27516-3997, USA.
Adair
Linda S
LS
Popkin
Barry M
BM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology; D010679:Philippines / Q000208:ethnology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States / Q000208:ethnology