Indices of fatness and relationships with age, ethnicity and lipids in New Zealand European, Māori and Pacific children.

Background/objectives: To investigate the relationships between body mass index (BMI), body fatness, ethnicity, age and blood lipids.

Subjects/method: In a subsample (N=643) of the 2002 New Zealand Child Nutrition Survey (N=3275, age 5-14 years) consisting Māori (89 boys, 69 girls), Pacific (154 boys, 194 girls) and European (71 boys, 66 girls) ethnic groups, fat-free mass (FFM) was determined by bioimpedance analysis. FFM index (FFMI, FFM/height(2)), fat mass index (FMI, fat mass/height(2)) and percentage body fat (%BF) were derived.