Racial differences in the sums of skinfolds and percentage of body fat estimated from impedance in black and white girls, 9 to 19 years of age: the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study.
OBJECTIVE
This National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study report assesses racial differences in fat patterning in black and white girls ages 9 to 19 years, comparing the sum of triceps and subscapular skinfolds (SSFs) and percentage of body fat (%BF) from impedance as two indices of adiposity. It is hypothesized that racial differences in fat patterning manifest during puberty.


METHODS
SSF and %BF were measured annually. Racial differences in SSF and %BF were evaluated by age. Associations between %BF and SSF were evaluated using the Pearson's correlations coefficient. Classification agreement was evaluated using the kappa-statistic. Effects of pubertal stage and race on classification agreement were examined using multivariate models.


RESULTS
White girls had a greater mean %BF at 9 to 12 years of age; black girls had a greater %BF thereafter. Black girls had a greater mean SSF at every age. The correlation coefficient between SSF and %BF was 0.79, and there was good agreement between %BF and SSF in separating high (>85th percentile) from not high (kappa = 0.60 for whites and 0.66 for blacks). SSF associated more with %BF in prepuberty and early puberty than in late puberty.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite good correlations between %BF and SSF, the two methods indicate different fat patterns in black and white girls.
Morrison
J A
JA
Division of Cardiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229, USA. morrj2@chmcc.org
Barton
B A
BA
Obarzanek
E
E
Crawford
P B
PB
Guo
S S
SS
Schreiber
G B
GB
Waclawiw
M
M
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D000293:Adolescent / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000886:Anthropometry; D044383:Black People; D001823:Body Composition / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics*; D011627:Puberty; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D044465:White People