Ethnicity, Socio-economic Status, Overweight and Underweight in East London Adolescents

BACKGROUND: The developed world is experiencing an 'epidemic' of childhood obesity but little is known about the prevalence of obesity, or underweight, amongst adolescents from minority ethnic groups in the UK. An understanding of the prevalence of obesity and overweight in these populations is important since some ethnic groups may be particularly vulnerable to the adverse health effects associated with obesity. STUDY OBJECTIVES: To examine levels of extreme obesity, obesity, overweight and underweight amongst a representative sample of adolescents from different ethnic groups in East London and to explore the association between socio-economic status and body mass index (BMI). DESIGN: A school-based survey of adolescents aged 11-14. Obesity and overweight were estimated using the 1990 UK growth reference (UK 90)…