Ethnic Inequalities and Sex Differences in Body Mass Index Among Tibet Minorities in China: Implication for Overweight and Obesity Risks

ObjectivesIn the present study, we for the first time investigated overweight and obesity level among Tibet minorities (Deng, Lhoba, Monba) living in remote villages at the south slope of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. For each ethnicity, the total number of population is less than 10 thousands in China. MethodsAnthropometric measurements were conducted on adult participants of three ethnicities in Tibet, China. Totally, the whole sample consists of 141 males and 163 females. Body mass index (BMI) was adopted to evaluate the overweight and obesity level. ResultsWithin each ethnicity, there was no significant sex difference on BMI. The general prevalence of overweight and obesity level of Lhoba ethnicity (18.42%) is higher than that of Monba (17.65%) and Deng ethnicity (6.29%). For each sex, the distribution of BMI classification was found to be significantly associated with ethnicity identity. ConclusionOne possible reason for ethnic disparity among Tibet minorities in the present study is special dietary elements. Measures to prevent and cope with the problem of overweight and obesity among Tibet minorities are urgently required. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:856-858, 2014. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.