title: The use of body mass index to predict body composition in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Simple anthropometric indices of body composition have particular appeal for use in children, and as such body mass index (BMI) has been used to predict percentage body fat in a number of studies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the relationship between BMI and percentage body fat (%body fat) and a proposed, more appropriate relationship between BMI and fat mass/height(2) in a cohort of young children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study of 109 children aged between 6 and 10 years residing in either Sydney or Brisbane, Australia. Weight and height were measured using standard methods. Body composition was measured using a stable isotope method to firstly determine total body water and subsequently fat free mass.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The correlation between BMI and fat mass/height(2) was markedly greater than that between BMI and percentage body fat. In the entire group of children the R(2) (x100%) value for the relationship between BMI and fat mass/height(2) was 73.3% compared with 46.5% for the relationship between BMI and percentage body fat.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have shown that the use of BMI to predict fat mass/height(2), and consequently percentage body fat, is superior to the use of BMI to predict percentage body fat based directly upon the R(2) values of the above analysis.
authors.affiliation: School of Human Movement Studies, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, Q4059, Australia.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Abbott
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Steinbeck
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wishart
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Gaskin
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Baur
authors.forename: P S W
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010103:Oxygen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis
chemical_list: D010103:Oxygen Isotopes