Adiposity and blood pressure in a multiethnic population of women in Hawaii

Abstract

Objective. To compare the amount and distribution of fat among White, Japanese, Filipino and Hawaiian women and to investigate associations between measures of adiposity and serum cholesterol and blood pressure. Design. Cross‐sectional survey of adiposity, serum cholesterol and blood pressure of 421 volunteer women of White (N = 137), Japanese (N = 144), Filipino (N = 74) and Hawaiian (N = 66) ethnicities, age 25–35 years. Anthropométrie measures (weight; height; subscapular, bicep, tricep, suprailiac and calf skinfold thickness; waist, hip and mid‐upper arm circumferences), grip strength, serum cholesterol and blood pressure. Results. Hawaiian women had the highest levels of adiposity by all measures. Asian women (especially Filipinos) had higher subscapular skinfold thicknesses than did Whites and, for the same value of body mass index (BMI), had a greater percentage of body fat. BMI was the strongest correlate of systolic blood pressure, while subscapular skinfold thickness was the strongest correlate of diastolic blood pressure. Blood pressure varied by adiposity but not ethnicity. No measures of body fat were associated with serum cholesterol. Conclusion. Higher body fat measures, especially BMI, were associated with higher systolic blood pressure. However, higher subscapular skinfold (upper body) thickness was also associated with higher diastolic blood pressure. Subscapular fatness appears to be especially important among women of Asian ethnicity, Filipino women in particular.