Ethnicity, obesity and health pattern among Indian population

Abstract

Objective:To study the relationship of ethnicity with overweight/obesity, variation in adiposity levels, regional distribution of fat and its impact on cardio-respiratory health among selected ethnic groups.Materials and methods:A cross-sectional study was carried out among 300 young adults of three ethnic groups from different geographical regions of India ranging in age from 20 to 30 years. Stature, weight, circumferences, body fat percentage, and skinfold thicknesses were measured. Obesity indices like body mass index (BMI), grand mean thickness (GMT), waist hip ratio (WHR), waist height ratio (WHtR), and conicity index (CI) were computed. Cardio-respiratory health indicators such as lung functions including forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1.0), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory ratio (FER), peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), breath holding time (BHT), and systolic and diastolic BP (blood pressure) were taken and associated with obesity indices.Results:General body fat deposition, assessed by BMI, GMT, and fat percentage, was found to be the highest among Delhi females and males. However, central adiposity as assessed from WHR, WHtR, and CI was found to be significantly higher among the Manipur subjects signifying a relatively more androidal pattern of fat deposition. Most of the inter-group differences for adiposity indices were significant; however, it was not so in the case of blood pressure among different ethnic groups. On the other hand, the respiratory efficiency varied significantly between different ethnic groups. Ethnicity, adiposity, and cardio-respiratory health were found to be interrelated.Conclusions:Subjects belonging to three ethnic groups showed marked differences in different body dimension, adiposity indices, and cardio-respiratory health. Central obesity has been found to be a better pointer for cardiovascular health risk. There were ethnic and gender differences with respect to adiposity measures and cardio-respiratory health indicators

Pre-Hypertension among Young Adults (20–30 Years) in Coastal Villages of Udupi District in Southern India: An Alarming Scenario

“…Similar to the present study, most of the studies have reported a higher prevalence of pre-hypertension among males than females. Mungreiphy NK et al [ 6 ] conducted a study among 360 young adults in the age group of 20 to 30 years in three different places in India (Delhi, Manipur and Kerala) and found the prevalence of pre-hypertension among males to be higher at around 54% and in females at around 10%. In the present study the risk of pre-hypertension increased with increasing levels of BMI and this trend was statistically significant.…”

Familial Background as a Hidden Cause for Obesity among College Going Girls

“…Obesity has surfaced as a major non-communicable health risk factor on a worldwide-scale, whereby much focus is now being shifted towards finding the environmental trigger and its prevention [4]. Lifestyle changes along with epigenetic mechanisms have been known to have indirect associations with metabolism and energy expenditure, thus aggravating proneness to lifestyle disorders, primarily obesity [5] [6].…”

Pattern of idiopathic intracranial hypertension in Indian population

“…Our study uses the revised diagnostic criteria for PTCS, proposed by Friedman et al .,[5] for diagnosis of IIH. Although the modified Dandy criteria[10] is most widely used for diagnosing IIH, Friedman et al .…”

“…This statement thus cannot be generalized for the Indian subcontinent, which is not only ethnically different but also has had a significant growth in obesity rates, in the recent years. [5] Literature from the Middle East, which has a high obesity rate, shows a profile quite similar to the Western world. [6] Studies from the Indian subcontinent are, hence, needed to reevaluate their risk factors.…”