To establish the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and body fat and explore their association with indicators of metabolic syndrome in pre-adolescents and adolescents from different ethnic groups.
1. To define the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and body fat in pre-adolescents of 9 years at the first stage of puberty (Tanner Stage 1: T1) and adolescents of 16 years old at the 4th and 5th stages of puberty (T4-5) from different ethnic groups.
2. To determine the relationship between body fat and insulin, glucose and blood pressure in overweight pre-adolescents and adolescents from different ethnic groups.
Data from this CRP will assist the health policy makers in Member States in their efforts to prevent and control obesity related non-communicable diseases. At the start of the CRP, data was lacking in many Member States, so this data will be a baseline for comparison with future data following interventions. The skills developed in China, Malaysia and Morocco are being utilised in the follow-on CRP E4.30.24, "Nuclear techniques to assess body composition in children and adolescents as a risk factor in the development of chronic diseases". Morocco is a key partner in TC Regional project RAF6042 "Applying Nuclear Techniques to Design and Evaluate Interventions to Reduce Obesity and Related Health Risks", which started in 2012 and involves 12 African Member States. The CSI from Malaysia will be the lead coordinator for a new RAS Regional project for the 2014-2015 cycle "Preventing overweight and obesity, and promoting physical activity among children and adolescents in Asia", which will involve 19 countries in the region; emphasising the importance of the topic, and of synergies between the Technical Cooperation programme and CRP's in nutrition.
The CRP is highly relevant, as WHO Member States will adopt the Global Monitoring Framework on Noncommunicable Diseases during the World Health Assembly in May 2013. The framework comprises nine global targets and 25 indicators, including one related to adolescent obesity.