Amish children have a much lower rate of obesity than the overall U.S. white population, because they are more active physically, according to a new study being presented Saturday, June 2, at The Endocrine Society’s 89th Annual Meeting in Toronto.

Dr. Julie Ducharme, an endocrine fellow at the University of Maryland Medical Center, and her co-workers performed the study in Old Order Amish families living in rural Lancaster, Pa. Amish people shun modern technology, such as cars and automated equipment. Thus, Amish children seem to have more outlets for physical activity than children in mainstream communities, Ducharme said. The researchers wondered if this were true and if it could protect against obesity in childhood, a growing problem in the general population.

The study included 177 individuals ages 8 to 19, with an average age of 13 for boys and 14 for girls. For each subject, the research team calculated the age-adjusted body mass index, or BMI (a measurement based on weight and height). Participants reported how much time they spent daily in physical activities, ranging from sports to farming. For seven days they also wore a hip accelerometer, which measured their movements.

The prevalence of being overweight or at risk of overweight in the Amish children was significantly less than in the U.S. white population (using data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, or NHANES III). In particular, males ages 12 to 19 were six times less likely to be overweight. Physical activity was related to age-adjusted BMI, with children who were more active being less likely to be overweight or obese. Amish children became less physically active the older they got, especially girls.

This finding of decreasing activity levels is similar to that in other demographic groups, according to Ducharme.

“Our study suggests that increasing the amount of daily activity, in particular targeting adolescents, may help reduce the incidence of childhood obesity,” Ducharme said.

A previous study that this group conducted in the same Amish community found that adults had a rate of overweight similar to that of the U.S. white population, yet had half the risk of having type 2 diabetes. Ducharme speculated that Amish children delay weight gain until later in life and that this may protect them from diabetes.

Other researchers involved in this study include Kristen Gill Hairston, Soren Snitker, and Alan Shuldiner.

This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association.

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