Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is an emerging problem among Inuit of Circumpolar Countries. However, Canadian Inuit health surveillance data are limited. Data from the Nunavik Health Survey were used to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity using the observed body mass index (BMIob) and the standardized BMI adjusted for sitting height (BMIstd). Also, data from Pangnirtung, Nunavut in the Baffin Region pilot health screening were used to evaluate anthropometric correlates of indices of insulin resistance. Obesity among the Nunavik study population (29.8%) is more prevalent than among general Canadians (23.1%), but the prevalence rates are more comparable when using BMIstd (21.5%). In Pangnirtung, anthropometric measures BMIob, BMIstd, waist circumference and percent body fat were associated with indices of insulin resistance/sensitivity (p ≤ 0.05). BMIstd showed similar results to BMIob and does not better predict the indices of insulin resistance/sensitivity.

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