Body mass index and the prediction of percentage body fat in Australian Chinese women.
BACKGROUND
Body mass index (BMI) is frequently related to percentage body fat. Nevertheless the relationship between BMI and fat mass/height2 (FM/H2), theoretically, should be more appropriate.


OBJECTIVE
This study seeks to evaluate the relationship between BMI and both percentage body fat and FM/H2 in a group of Chinese Australian females.


METHODS
Forty subjects took part in the study and all were Chinese females resident in Brisbane, Australia. Body mass index was calculated from height and weight. Percentage body fat and fat mass were calculated from measurements of total body water.


RESULTS
The use of BMI to predict FM/H2 accounted for double the variance of that found when BMI was used to predict percentage body fat.


CONCLUSIONS
As a consequence, it is possible that the use of BMI to predict FM/H2 and not percentage body fat in the first instance may prove to be more useful in a number of adult populations. Nevertheless, with a relatively small sample size it is difficult, if not impossible, to test the developed equations on a validation group and further investigation into the findings described in this paper needs to be undertaken.
Davies
P S
PS
School of Human Movement Studies, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. ps.davies@qut.edu.au
Lanham
D A
DA
Stead
M A
MA
Tsang
K
K
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D001826:Body Fluids; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results