[Measuring the percent body fat of overweight and obese schoolchildren in Beijing--bioimpedance analysis (BIA)].
OBJECTIVE
To measure the percent body fat (fat%) of overweight and obese urban schoolchildren in Beijing, and provide data for making clinical criteria in childhood obesity diagnosis.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study of 681 children at the ages of 7 - 11 years were selected in two typical public primary schools in Beijing urban area. Among them, there were 338 boys (49.6%) with average age (9.4 +/- 1.4) years old, and 343 girls average age (9.3 +/- 1.4) years old. Fat% was measured by using bioimpedance analysis (TBF-026). "Reference norm for screening overweight and obesity in Chinese children and adolescents" was used to identify overweight and obese children, differences in fat% between any two groups were analyzed. By using Mann-Whitney U of non-parametric tests.


RESULTS
The median and interquartile range of fat% in normal non-obese, overweight and obese boys or in the girls were 15.8% (13.0% - 18.2%), 21.8% (19.4% - 26.1%) and 29.6% (25.1% - 34.3%),and were 15.5% (12.2% - 19.3%), 25.2% (21.1% - 27.5%) and 30.5% (28.2% - 34.8%), respectively. There were significant differences in fat% in different body types (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Fat% in overweight and obese schoolchildren in Beijing urban was about 20%, and was compared to other ethnical schoolchildren in the world.
Li
Liubai
L
Institute of Child & Adolescent Health, Beijing University, Beijing 100083, China.
Li
Sujun
S
Li
Jiaqi
J
Li
Keji
K
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D050177:Overweight / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012494:Sampling Studies; D013334:Students; D014504:Urban Health