title: Body fat assessment by bioelectrical impedance and its correlation with different anatomical sites used in the measurement of waist circumference in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the different anatomical sites used in the measurement of waist circumference, as well as the effectiveness of these landmarks to predict the percentage of body fat by tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated 205 children from 6 to 9 years of age of both sexes. Data on weight, height and waist circumference were collected at three different sites: at the lower abdominal curvature, above the navel and at the midpoint between the last rib and the iliac crest. Nutritional status was assessed through the body mass index (BMI)/age as recommended by the World Health Organization.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sample was considered homogeneous in terms of sex, and the mean age was 7.2+/-1.2 years. Regarding nutritional status, 6.3% of the children had low weight, 75.1% were eutrophic, 7.3% were overweight, and 11.2% were obese. Among males, there was no statistical difference between the different sites of measurement; in females, the measurement above the navel was statistically higher. In the correlation analysis, the midpoint measurement showed the best correlation with percentage of body fat, with values of 0.50 in boys and 0.62 in girls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Waist circumference measured at the midpoint between the last rib and the iliac crest presented the best correlation with percentage of body fat.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV), Viçosa, MG, Brazil. mslsantana@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Mônica de Souza Lima
authors.initials: Mde S
authors.lastname: Sant'Anna
authors.forename: Adelson Luiz Araújo
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Tinoco
authors.forename: Lina Enriqueta F P de Lima
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Rosado
authors.forename: Luciana Ferreira da Rocha
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Sant'Ana
authors.forename: Amanda de Carvalho
authors.initials: Ade C
authors.lastname: Mello
authors.forename: Igor Surian de Sousa
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Brito
authors.forename: Larissa Fortunato
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.forename: Tássia Ferreira
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Santos
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000502:physiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055105:Waist Circumference