title: [On the usefulness of the Benn index for obesity of school children compared to the Kaup index and the Rohrer index].
abstract: The criteria of a good obesity index derived from height and weight are that (1) it should be highly correlated with weight, but independent of height and (2) it should be highly correlated with any reasonable obesity measures like skinfold thickness or body density. We examined the usefulness of the Benn index relative to the traditional indices, the Kaup index and the Rohrer index, based on the above criteria. The subjects were 1200 students (600 boys and 600 girls) in the 9th grade of 6 junior high schools in and around the city of Morioka, Iwate in 1985. Three weight-for-height indices for each grade were calculated by the longitudinal data of their heights and weights from the 1st to the 9th grades. As a result, the Benn index was found to best fit the criteria. So, we would like to recommend the use of the Benn index as the screening measure for obesity in school children.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tatsumi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsunoda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis*