Table 2.
Anthropometry, body composition and blood pressure measurement of children (mean ± SD).
| Variables | All (n = 140) | Malays (n = 52) | Chinese (n = 44) | Indian (n = 44) | p-value (p value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 10.0 ± 1.0 | 9.5 ± 0.8a | 10.2 ± 1.0b | 10.6 ± 0.9b | <0.001* |
| Height (cm) | 138.2 ± 9.3 | 134.8 ± 8.8a | 138.8 ± 9.2a,b | 142.0 ± 8.3b | <0.001* |
| Weight (kg) | 34.8 ± 12.0 | 31.9 ± 10.0a | 36.6 ± 12.1b | 36.6 ± 12.4b | 0.017* |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 17.9 ± 4.5 | 17.3 ± 3.9 | 18.6 ± 4.5 | 17.9 ± 4.6 | 0.185 |
| BMI-for-age (SD) | 0.4 ± 2.8 | −0.1 ± 2.6 | 1.0 ± 2.7 | 0.4 ± 2.8 | 0.128 |
| Waist Circumference (cm) | 62.4 ± 12.7 | 60.1 ± 11.4 | 63.6 ± 12.2 | 63.9 ± 13.4 | 0.085 |
| Body fat (%) | 27.3 ± 9.4 | 27.4 ± 10.7 | 25.4 ± 9.1 | 29.1 ± 7.2 | 0.131 |
| Lean body mass (%) | 72.7 ± 9.4 | 72.6 ± 10.7 | 74.6 ± 9.1 | 70.9 ± 7.7 | 0.131 |
| SBP (mmHg) PRESSPREpressure (mmHg) | 106.1 ± 10.7 | 104.5 ± 10.7 | 107.8 ± 10.1 | 106.5 ± 10.6 | 0.224 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 64.2 ± 8.4 | 63.4 ± 8.0 | 64.5 ± 8.6 | 64.6 ± 8.8 | 0.630 |
1Based on BMI-for-age z-score: Severely thin and thin (z-score < −2SD); Normal (-2SD ≤ z-score≤+1SD); Overweight (+1SD < z-score ≤+2SD) and obese (z-score >+2SD) (WHO 2007).
2SBP: Systolic blood pressure; DBP: Diastolic blood pressure.
∗Kruskal-Wallis test showed significant difference between ethnicity at p<0.05 based on pairwise comparison.
a
Mean values not sharing the same superscript letter indicate significant difference between ethnics groups based on pairwise comparison.
b
Mean values not sharing the same superscript letter indicate significant difference between ethnics groups based on pairwise comparison.