title: Ethnic disparities in general and abdominal adiposity at school age: a multiethnic population-based cohort study in the Netherlands.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Ethnic differences in obesity prevalence have been reported. We examined ethnic differences in general and abdominal fat distribution in school-age children and the influence of parental prepregnancy, pregnancy, and childhood factors on these differences.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a multiethnic population-based prospective cohort study among 5,244 children with information about prepregnancy factors, pregnancy, and childhood factors. At the age of 6 years, the BMI, total fat mass, android/gynoid fat mass ratio, and preperitoneal fat mass were assessed via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and abdominal ultrasound.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overweight and obesity prevalences among Dutch children were 10.0 and 2.1%, respectively. Higher prevalences were observed among Cape Verdean (21.0 and 10.3%), Dutch Antillean (18.4 and 13.8%), Moroccan (20.6 and 7.7%), Surinamese-Creole (13.4 and 7.7%), Surinamese-Hindustani (12.3 and 6.2%), and Turkish (23.8 and 12.0%) children. In the models adjusted for age and sex only, Moroccan, Surinamese-Hindustani, and Turkish children had a higher total fat mass than Dutch children, whereas Surinamese-Creole children had a lower total fat mass. Compared to Dutch children, the android/gynoid fat mass ratio was higher in Moroccan, Surinamese-Hindustani, and Turkish children, whereas the preperitoneal fat mass was higher among Dutch Antillean, Moroccan, Surinamese-Hindustani, and Turkish children (all p < 0.05). Prepregnancy factors explained up to 73% of these differences. In addition to prepregnancy factors, pregnancy factors explained up to 34% of the differences. Childhood factors did not significantly explain these associations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All ethnic minority groups had higher risks of overweight and obesity than Dutch children. Moroccan, Surinamese-Hindustani, and Turkish children also had an adverse body fat profile. Prepregnancy and pregnancy might be critical periods for preventive strategies focused on the reduction of ethnic disparities in childhood adiposity.
authors.affiliation: Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Olta
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gishti
authors.forename: Claudia J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kruithof
authors.forename: Janine F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Felix
authors.forename: Hein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Raat
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.forename: Liesbeth
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Duijts
authors.forename: Romy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gaillard
authors.forename: Vincent W V
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Jaddoe
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity / Q000208:ethnology; D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000208:ethnology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000208:ethnology; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014504:Urban Health / Q000208:ethnology