Prediction of intra-abdominal and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue in healthy pre-pubertal children.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship of intra-abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT) and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT) with body composition and anthropometry in children.


METHODS
Cross-sectional data analysis.


METHODS
113 healty Caucasian and African-American, pre-pubertal children aged 4-10 y.


METHODS
IAAT and SAAT by single slice computed tomography at the level of the umbilicus; total fat and trunk fat by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA); anthropometric evaluation by skinfolds and circumferences.


RESULTS
IAAT was most strongly correlated with abdominal skinfold (r = 0.88) and trunk fat by DEXA (r = 0.87), and SAAT with trunk fat by DEXA (r = 0.96), total fat by DEXA (r = 0.93) and waist circumference (r = 0.93). In stepwise regression, IAAT was best predicted by trunk fat from DEXA, total fat from DEXA, and abdominal skinfold (R2 = 0.85); SAAT was best predicted by trunk fat from DEXA, body weight, waist circumference and abdominal skinfold (R2 = 0.96). In the absence of DEXA data, IAAT was best predicted by abdominal skinfold, ethnicity and subscapular skinfold (R2 = 0.82) and SAAT was best predicted by waist circumference subscapular skinfold, height and abdominal skinfold (R2=0.92). The prediction equations with and without DEXA were successfully cross-validated in an independent sample of 12 additional measures of IAAT and SAAT.


CONCLUSIONS
These data provide useful information that can help in the interpretation of anthropometric data with regard to body fat distribution. IAAT and SAAT can be accurately estimated in Caucasian and African-American prepubertal children from anthropometry with and without the availability of DEXA data.
Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA.
M I
MI
Goran
B A
BA
Gower
M
M
Treuth
T R
TR
Nagy
D000005:Abdomen; D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000886:Anthropometry; D001823:Body Composition; D001824:Body Constitution; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012867:Skin; D012885:Skinfold Thickness