Estimation of Fish Intake in Asian and White Female Adolescents, and Association with 2-Year Changes in Body Fatness and Body Fat Distribution: The Female Adolescent Maturation Study

Abstract

BackgroundFish is an important source of long-chain n-3 fatty acids in the diets of female adolescents, which may affect adipose tissue deposition. ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to evaluate fish intake in Asian and white female adolescents, and to determine whether fish intake was associated with changes in body fatness and body fat distribution in this population. DesignA cross-sectional analysis of fish intake using 3-day food records (n=200), and a prospective analysis of baseline fish intake on anthropometric measurements 2 years later was conducted (n=103). Participants/settingParticipants included female adolescents (aged 9 to 14 years) who were recruited from the Kaiser Permanente Oahu membership database in 2000-2001 as part of the Female Adolescent Maturation study (N=349). Statistical analysisFish intake and the proportion of participants eating 8 oz fish per week was compared between Asian, white, and mixed Asian/white ethnic groups using Kruskal-Wallis test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, and χ2 test, respectively. The effect of fish intake on anthropometric measurements was assessed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and linear regression analyses, adjusting for demographic, pubertal, anthropometric, activity, and dietary parameters. ResultsAsians consumed more fish (0.85 oz/wk [range=0.00 to 4.74 oz/wk]) than whites (0.00 oz/wk [0.00 to 0.40 oz/wk]; P=0.0001), and were more likely to eat 8 oz fish per week (13 of 68 vs 2 of 51, respectively; P=0.014). Greater fish intake corresponded to smaller changes in waist circumference when controlling for age, ethnicity, puberty, activity, energy intake, and baseline waist circumference (P=0.026), but not after adjusting for parental and additional dietary parameters (P>0.10). ConclusionsMost female adolescents did not consume the recommended amount of fish, a problem that was more common in whites than Asians. The protective effect of fish intake on abdominal obesity warrants further study.