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. 2023 Jan 25;31(2):316–328. doi: 10.1002/oby.23639

TABLE 2.

Studies reporting obesity prevalence with standard or race‐specific obesity cutoffs in Asian American individuals covering the period from 2011 to 2018

Reference Data source and key relevant findings General obesity cutoffs Race‐specific obesity cutoffs
Aoki et al. [ 54 , 77 ] High BMI in Asian adults included in NHANES 2011‐2012 ‐

BMI ≥ 25.0 (n = 733)

Sex, %:
  • Men (n = 365): 43.0
  • Women (n = 368): 34.7; p < 0.05
Birthplace, %:
  • US‐born (n = 113): 45.1
  • Foreign‐born (n = 620): 37.9
Becerra et al. [ 33 ] Data from the 2010‐2011 CHIS on adults with obesity BMI ≥ 30.0 for all groups, %

  • Chinese (n = 5782): 3.6

  • Filipino (n = 2935): 8.9

  • South Asian (n = 2288): 6.7

  • Japanese (n = 652): 4.8

  • Korean (n = 3827): 2.4

  • Vietnamese (n = 4357): 5.4

 BMI ≥ 27.5, %

  • Chinese (n = 5782): 8.5

  • Filipino (n = 2935): 20.6

  • South Asian (n = 2288): 15.9

  • Japanese (n = 652): 11.0

  • Korean (n = 3827): 8.3

  • Vietnamese (n = 4357): 9.8
Chen et al. [ 22 ] Obesity in racially and ethnically diverse men and women aged 54 to 93 y in the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis Sleep Cohort (2010‐2013) BMI ≥ 30.0 for all groups, %

  • Chinese (n = 262): 4.6

  • White (n = 828): 29.8

 BMI ≥ 25.0 for Asian individuals, BMI ≥ 30.0 for non‐Asian individuals, %

  • Chinese (n = 262): 35.9 (BMI ≥ 25.0)
Echeverria et al. [ 23 ] Obesity in a nationally representative sample of US adults aged ≥20 y in NHANES 2011‐2014 BMI ≥ 30.0 for all groups, %

  • Asian, US‐born (n = 196): 14.1

  • Asian, foreign‐born, ≥20 y residence (n = 531): 13.4

  • Asian, foreign‐born, <20 y residence (n = 636): 11.1

  • White, US‐born (n = 4121): 36.2

 BMI ≥ 25.0, %

  • Asian, US‐born (n = 196): 43.0

  • Asian, foreign‐born, ≥20 y residence (n = 531): 45.1

  • Asian, foreign‐born, <20 y residence (n = 636): 38.6
Golabi et al. [ 38 ] Adults with and without NAFLD included in NHANES 2011‐2016 ‐
Obesity: BMI ≥ 25.0 for Asian individuals, BMI ≥ 30.0 for non‐Asian individuals, weighted % (SE)
  • Asian, without NAFLD (n = 657): 26.51 (2.13)
  • Asian, with NAFLD (n = 159): 81.10 (3.23)
  • White, without NAFLD (n = 1573): 15.52 (1.05)
  • White, with NAFLD (n = 808): 72.41 (1.37)
Central obesity: waist circumference ≥90 cm for Asian men, ≥94 cm for other men, ≥80 cm for all women, % (SE)
  • Asian, without NAFLD (n = 657): 46.97 (2.77)
  • Asian, with NAFLD (n = 159): 93.52 (2.12)
  • White, without NAFLD (n = 1573): 68.22 (1.73)
  • White, with NAFLD (n = 808): 98.46 (0.60)
Gong et al. [ 34 ] Obesity in Asian adults included in 2013‐2014 CHIS ‐

BMI ≥ 27.5

Ethnicity, %
  • Chinese (n = 1128): 17.3
  • Filipino (n = 562): 33.8
  • Japanese (n = 534): 32.0
  • Korean (n = 442): 12.8
  • Vietnamese (n = 524): 17.9
  • Other Asian individuals (n = 810): 25.9
Sex, %
  • Men (n = 1751): 28.4
  • Women (n = 2249): 20.2
Janevic et al. [ 24 ] Obesity in women in New York City who gave birth in 2010‐2014 BMI ≥ 30.0 for all groups, %

  • All Asian: US‐born (n = 72,461): 5.8

  • All Asian: foreign‐born: 4.7

  • Indian: US‐born (n = 9892): 7.5

  • Indian: foreign‐born (n = 17,766): 11.2

  • Chinese: US‐born (n = 4212): 4.0

  • Chinese: foreign‐born (n = 40,817): 1.2

  • White: US‐born (n = 129,279): 9.7

  • White: foreign‐born (n = 49,072): 8.0

 ‐
Liu et al. [ 29 ] Nationally representative sample of US adults aged 20 y or older in NHANES 2011‐2018; n = 21,093, 2732 were non‐Hispanic Asian (5.6%), 7757 were non‐Hispanic White (64.8%) (data here reported from 2017‐2018) Waist circumference ≥102 cm for men, ≥88 cm for women, % (95% CI)

  • Asian: 31.9 (29.1‐34.7)

  • Asian men: 21.3 (17.7‐24.8)

  • Asian women: 41.0 (36.4‐45.6)

  • White: 59.9 (55.0‐64.8)

  • White men: 54.0 (46.9‐61.0)

  • White women: 65.8 (59.8‐71.8)

 BMI ≥ 27.5 for Asian individuals, BMI ≥ 30.0 for non‐Asian individuals, % (95% CI)

  • Asian: 34.2 (29.8‐38.6)

  • Asian men: 37.2 (30.4‐43.9)

  • Asian women: 31.5 (26.4‐36.7)

  • White: 42.2 (36.8‐47.6)

  • White men: 44.7 (36.8‐52.6)

  • White women: 39.8 (33.7‐46.0)
McEligot et al. [ 78 ] Obesity (definition unclear but no distinction for Asian individuals made) at a metropolitan university from fall 2006 to fall 2013 BMI ≥ 30.0 for all groups, %

  • Asian (n = 1016): 6.3

  • White (n = 1454): 4.7

 ‐
Mui et al. [ 30 ] Obesity prevalence in the 2002‐2015 National Health Interview Surveys ‐ BMI ≥ 27.5 for Asian individuals, BMI ≥ 30.0 for non‐Asian individuals, %

  • Asian Indian (n = 4819): 19.8

  • Chinese (n = 4473): 15.0

  • Filipino (n = 4293): 34.7

  • Other Asian (n = 8024): 19.8

  • Whites (n = 199,767): 28.1
Ogden et al. [ 79 ] Data from NHANES 2011‐2014 BMI ≥ 30.0 for obesity in adults aged ≥20 y, % (n values not reported)

  • Asian: 11.7

  • Asian men: 11.2

  • Asian women: 11.9

  • White: 34.5 (significantly different from Asian individuals)

  • White men: 33.6 (significantly different from Asian individuals)

  • White women: 35.5 (significantly different from Asian individuals)

 ‐
Pu et al. [ 31 ] Obesity in pregnant women in 2007‐2012 in the electronic health records of a large mixed‐payer ambulatory care organization in Northern California BMI ≥ 30.0 for all groups, %

  • Asian Indian (n = 5069): 4.7

  • Chinese (n = 3206): 1.1

  • Filipino (n = 1096): 9.2

  • Japanese (n = 682): 1.0

  • Korean (n = 462): 2.5

  • Vietnamese (n = 460): 1.5

  • White (n = 9011): 9.6

 BMI ≥ 27.5 for Asian individuals, BMI ≥ 30.0 for non‐Asian individuals, %

  • Asian Indian (n = 5069): 11.5

  • Chinese (n = 3206): 2.8

  • Filipino (n = 1096): 16.4

  • Japanese (n = 682): 2.8

  • Korean (n = 462): 4.8

  • Vietnamese (n = 460): 5.0

  • White (n = 9011): 9.6
Rodriguez et al. [ 25 ] Obesity (BMI ≥ 30.0) in participants in the prospective community‐based Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis aged 45‐84 y and without known clinical cardiovascular disease at baseline BMI ≥ 30.0 for all groups, %

  • Chinese (n = 795): 4.3

  • White (n = 2580): 27.7; p < 0.001 (comparing racial and ethnic differences in demographic and clinical characteristics)

 ‐
Rummo et al. [ 32 ] Obesity prevalence among New York City adults aged ≥20 y in 2013‐2014 BMI ≥ 27.5 for Asian individuals, BMI ≥ 30.0 for non‐Asian individuals, % (95% CI)

  • Asian men (n = 81): 18.0 (13.6‐38.9)

  • Asian women (n = 117): 32.7 (24.6‐41.9)

  • White men (n = 231): 32.0 (25.0‐39.9)

  • White women (n = 268): 23.4 (18.5‐29.0)
Sa et al. [ 80 ] Obesity (BMI ≥ 30.0) in a nationally representative sample of 319,342 US college students (mean age 20.4 y; 67.7% female) from fall 2011 to spring 2015 BMI ≥ 30.0 for all groups for spring 2015 only, % (95% CI) (subgroup n values not reported)

  • Asian: 6.3 (5.7‐6.9)

  • White: 9.8 (9.5‐10.1)

 ‐
Tung et al. [ 26 ] Obesity (BMI ≥ 30.0) in adults eligible for T2D screening (age ≥45 y) in 2012‐2014 BMI ≥ 30.0 for all groups, weighted %

  • Asian (n = 9310): 59.7

  • White (n = 414,638): 71.2

 ‐
Vargas [ 50 ] Comparison of BMI categories of obesity in adult Filipino American individuals in New Jersey in 2014 BMI ≥ 30.0, %

  • Overall (n = 210): 9.5

  • Men (n = 76): 15.8

  • Women (n = 34): 6.0

 BMI ≥ 27.5, %

  • Overall (n = 210): 25.2

  • Men (n = 76): 31.6

  • Women (n = 34): 21.6
Yi et al. [ 27 ] Age‐standardized prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 27.5 for Asian American individuals [n = 783], BMI ≥ 30.0 for White individuals [n = 3525]) in New York City in 2012 BMI ≥ 30.0 for all groups, % (95% CI) (subgroup n values not reported)

  • East Asian: 8.1 (5.6‐11.6)

  • South Asian: 12.9 (7.6‐20.9)

  • Southeast Asian: 2.3 (0.5‐9.5)

  • All Asian: 10.3 (7.6‐13.7)

  • White: 19.2 (17.1‐21.6)

 BMI ≥ 27.5  for Asian individuals, BMI ≥ 30.0 for non‐Asian individuals, % (95% CI) (subgroup n values not reported)

  • East Asian: 14.1 (10.7‐18.4)

  • South Asian: 19.7 (13.5‐27.8)

  • Southeast Asian: 19.0 (8.0‐38.7)

  • All Asian: 17.3 (14.1‐21.2)

  • White: 19.2 (17.1‐21.6)

Abbreviations: CHIS, California Health Interview Survey; NAFLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; NHANES, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; T2D, type 2 diabetes; WHO, World Health Organization.