Background/Purpose Native Hawaiians (NH) have the highest prevalence of obesity in Hawaii. While approximately 61% of NH adults report meeting daily physical activity (PA) recommendations, few data are available regarding obesity and physical activity levels in NH adolescents. The purpose of this study was to determine the PA levels of NH adolescents, the average body mass index (BMI) of NH adolescents, and the relationship between these two factors. Also, the relationship between percentage of NH and rate of overweight and obesity was investigated.
Method NH students from two public middle schools on the island of Maui served as participants (N=69). Two activity recall surveys were used to assess PA. Height and weight were measured to calculate BMI, and stratification methods were used to identify participants as normal weight, overweight, or obese.
Analysis/Results Recommendations for moderate and vigorous PA were met by 37% and 44% of participants, respectively. Using the International Obesity Task Force cutoffs for BMI, 44.9% of children were of normal weight, 30.4% were overweight, and 24.6% were obese. Additionally, no significant relationship between percentage of Native Hawaiian ancestry and BMI was observed in the study population.
Conclusions Compared to national averages, NH adolescents reported lower levels of vigorous PA, higher levels of moderate PA, and higher rates of overweight and obesity.