Abstract
BackgroundObesity is a major public health concern in the United States and should be addressed as early as possible, in childhood. Disparities exist in obesity prevalence and its associated comorbidities by racial/ethnic group, however less is known about the smaller racial/ethnic subclasses that are often aggregated and assumed to be homogeneously at risk. As the racial and ethnic composition of the US shifts towards greater diversity, it is important that epidemiologic research addresses these new challenges.Main bodyIn this short communication, we focus on Asian American children given that subgroups are historically understudied and emerging evidence among adults suggest heterogeneous associations for both obesity and cardio-metabolic outcomes. Existing limitations in this research area include: (1) identifying the appropriate measurement of adiposity in Asian American children; (2) determining high-risk cutoffs for intervention; and (3) developing strategies to ensure study robustness.ConclusionData disaggregation is a necessary approach to understand potentially heterogeneous associations in childhood obesity and cardio-metabolic risk, but epidemiologic investigators must address these challenges. Ultimately, successful strategies could help better identify high risk subgroups, target interventions, and effectively reduce the burden of obesity among American youth.
Highlights
Measuring adiposity in Asian-American children has unique challenges An existing issue with addressing the role of childhood obesity in early and late health outcomes is the difficulty in measurement of adiposity
In the United States (US) almost a third of children aged 2–19 years are overweight or obese, and the presence of obesity in childhood is associated with development of risk factors for cardiovascular disease [1]
While global challenges exist in understanding childhood obesity as it relates to downstream health outcomes, including: (1) difficulties in measurement; (2) appropriateness of cut points for risk stratification; and (3) power to estimate stratum specific effects by ethnic subgroup, we consider these challenges as they relate to Asian American youth
Summary
Challenges exist in conducting epidemiologic research among subgroups of racial/ethnic minority children, focusing on the existing heterogeneity in this population introduces opportunities to explore potential mechanisms through which ethnicity is associated with childhood obesity. Additional understanding of contributors to obesity, both environmental and biological, could eventually translate into public health programs and interventions for high-risk groups or areas. Asian American youth represent a unique opportunity to study the effects of immigration, acculturation, and genetic influences on obesity and its comorbidities. Researchers aimed at exploring childhood obesity in diverse populations should oversample ethnic subgroups and consider large longitudinal studies of. Continued research among understudied minority groups is important to address challenges in measurement and risk assessment, and introduces opportunities to identify unique ways to modify risk for obesity that can be translated into public health practice
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