Objective. Epidemiologic studies suggest that Native Americans, includ
ing the Mohawk people, have a high prevalence of obesity, diabetes, an
d cardiovascular risk. However, current information on alterations in
related variables such as energy metabolism and body composition in Na
tive Americans is almost exclusively limited to already obese Pima adu
lts living in the southwest. The aim of this study was to characterize
energy metabolism and body composition in young Mohawk children (17 g
irls, 11 boys; aged 4 to 7 years) as compared to Caucasian children (3
6 girls, 34 boys; aged 4 to 7 years). Total energy expenditure was mea
sured by doubly labeled water, postprandial resting energy expenditure
by indirect calorimetry, and activity energy expenditure was derived
from the difference between total and resting energy expenditure. Fat
and fat free mass were estimated from bioelectrical resistance, and bo
dy fat distribution was estimated from skinfolds and circumferences. R
esults. There were no significant effects of ethnic background or sex
on body weight, height, or body mass index. Fat free mass was signific
antly higher in boys and fat mass was significantly higher in girls, w
ith no effect of ethnic background. Chest skinfold thickness, the rati
o of trunk skinfolds:extremity skinfolds, and the waist:hip ratio were
significantly higher in Mohawk children by 2.5 mm, 0.09 units, and 0.
03 units, respectively, independent of sex and fat mass. Total energy
expenditure was significantly higher in Mohawk children compared to Ca
ucasian (100 kcal/day in girls, 150 kcal/day in boys), independent of
fat free mass and sex, due to a significantly higher physical activity
-related energy expenditure. Conclusion. These data suggest that: 1) b
ody fat is more centrally distributed in Mohawk relative to Caucasian
children, and this effect is independent of sex and body fat content;
2) Mohawk children have a greater total energy expenditure than Caucas
ian children, independent of fat free mass, due to greater physical ac
tivity-related energy expenditure.