Obesity measures in the Kiribati population: a need to reclassify body mass index cut-points

• Main Authors: P. E. Eme (Author), B. Burlingame (Author), N. D. Kim (Author), S. Foliaki (Author), C. Wham (Author), J. Douwes (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: BMC, 2020-07-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.1186/s12889-020-09217-z; 1471-2458
• Keywords: Body mass index; Body fat percent; Relationship; Predictor; Adults; Kiribati; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: BMC Public Health, Vol 20, Iss 1, Pp 1-7 (2020)

Abstract Background Obesity is a public health problem in Micronesia. The objective of the study was to assess obesity, the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BF%) among adults, and determine the appropriate BMI cut-points in Kiribati. Methods A cross-sectional study was undertaken among 483 adults randomly selected from South Tarawa (ST) and Butaritari (BT). Weight, height, BF% and physical activity level (PAL) was measured using standard methods. Linear and quadratic regression analyses were conducted to assess the association between BF% and BMI whilst controlling for age and gender. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analyses were used to assess whether for the Kiribati population alternative BMI cut-off points for obesity are needed. Results Approximately 75% of participants were obese using standard BMI and BF% cut-offs, with the highest prevalence observed in South Tarawa. BF% was significantly (p < 0.001) and positively associated with age (males, r = 0.78; females, r = 0.67; p < 0.001) and BMI. Based on ROC-curve analyses the BMI cut-offs for predicting high BF% among I-Kiribati people were 24.5 kg/m2 for males and 32.9 kg/m2 for females. Conclusions In conclusion, the majority of adults in Kiribati were either obese or overweight and had high BF%. We suggest that ethnic-specific BMI cut-points to define obesity for the population of Kiribati may be more appropriate than the currently used international cut-points.