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d low weight (low BMI), especially among female students
The College was already taking steps to address this concern and was in the process of
investigating the possibility of ethnic differences in body mass index (BMI).
Indeed, there is a difference in what is considered a ‘normal’ BMI for Chinese adults
compared to Western populations. The ‘normal’ range for Chinese is 18.5-23.9 with a BMI of
24 and over considered overweight and 28 and over considered obese. These cut-offs are
≥25 and ≥30 respectively in Western populations14. This has implications for detection and
prevention of overweight, obesity and cardiovascular risk in Chinese people. For example,
Indonesians, Singaporeans and Hong Kong Chinese have 5-7% higher body fat percentage
compared with Caucasians with the same BMI. This higher body fat percentage coincides
with higher relative risks for cardiovascular risk factors15.
BMI for children and teens (BMI-for-age) is based on gender- and age-specific charts and
was developed by the International Obesity Task Force based on 6 countries. As for adults,
the relationship between BMI and body fat percentage differs between Chinese and
24
Caucasian children and young infants16. There is a case for using ethnic-specific charts
rather than ‘universal’ charts. However, it must be noted that even within the Chinese
population, there appear to be differences between northern (Beijing) and southern (Hong
Kong, Singapore) Chinese, with Beijing adults and children having body fat percentage/BMI
relationships comparable with Caucasians.
If weight continues to be a concern after taking ethnic differences into account, steps to find
the underlying causes would be recommended, in addition to providing nutritional
supplements, which the College is also considering.
2. Self-medication
The College had concerns over the safety of Chinese medicines that students were
bringing/receiving from home and using. This was prevalent among students from mainland
China. No policies were in place to govern the possession or use of these medicines. While
these concerns are valid, it is recommended that i) the cultural needs of the students are
considered and ii) better understanding of the type, purpose and usage of the medicines is
gained so that any policies or guidelines that are developed best accommodate the health
needs and behaviours of the students.
5.12.2. Ellesmere College
There are fewer Chinese students at Ellesmere College compared with Concord College, 22
in total with most being aged 16-18. Again, there were concerns over students bringing
herbal medicines from home.
5.13. Disease patterns
The lack of any epidemiological data relating to Chinese in the UK makes it difficult to
identify health needs in terms of disease incidence or prevalence. While this sample (focus
group, interviews and questionnaires) is too small to draw any conclusions, they give an
indication of the prevalence of certain conditions. Table 7 shows the conditions and
frequency at which they were found in the sample of 36 people.
Table 7. Conditions reported by the sample and their frequency, with some people reporting
more than one condition.
Condition Frequency in sample
Asthma 3
Coronary heart disease 1
Diabetes 1
Eczema 1
Hay fever 4
High blood pressure 1
Indigestion 2
Joint pain 2
‘Kidney disease’ 1
‘Skin problem