BMI Percentile Cutoffs for Overweight and Obesity Are Set Too High in Terms of Adiposity and Metabolic Markers for Asian Children and Adolescents
Authors' conclusion
Asian children and adolescents experience elevated metabolic risks at currently defined BMI percentiles. Lower BMI cutoffs targeting the 80th percentile for overweight and 90th percentile for obesity may improve early detection of metabolic risks in the Asian paediatric population.
Study context
- Population
- U.S. children and adolescents, NHANES 2012–2020, within the 85–95th and ≥ 95th BMI percentile ranges
- Exposure
- Asian vs non-Asian children and adolescents
- Outcome
- BMI percentiles corresponding to the same levels of metabolic parameters (truncal fat percentage, glycemic markers, lipid profiles, liver disease markers) in Asian vs non-Asian participants
Methodological detailsnationally representative, metabolic parameter-based matching analyses
- Nationally representative
- Metabolic parameter-based matching analyses
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
BMI percentile at matched metabolic dysfunction
Asians had the same levels of metabolic dysfunction at lower BMI percentiles than non-Asians; averaged differences across various BMI percentile ranges
≈3-9 BMI percentiles
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
- Asian children had more pronounced metabolic abnormalities than non-Asians in the overweight and obesity groups
Original publication
BMI Percentile Cutoffs for Overweight and Obesity Are Set Too High in Terms of Adiposity and Metabolic Markers for Asian Children and Adolescents. Pediatr Obes. Published 10 December 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →