Body fat assessment by bioelectrical impedance and its correlation with different anatomical sites used in the measurement of waist circumference in children.
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.
Sant'Anna
Mônica de Souza Lima
Mde S
Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV), Viçosa, MG, Brazil. mslsantana@yahoo.com
Tinoco
Adelson Luiz Araújo
AL
Rosado
Lina Enriqueta F P de Lima
LE
Sant'Ana
Luciana Ferreira da Rocha
LF
Mello
Amanda de Carvalho
Ade C
Brito
Igor Surian de Sousa
IS
Araújo
Larissa Fortunato
LF
Santos
Tássia Ferreira
TF
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