title: Defining anthropometric cut-off levels related to metabolic risk in a group of Sri Lankan children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Body mass index (BMI) is widely used as a measure of adiposity. However, currently used cut-off values are not sensitive in diagnosing obesity in South Asian populations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To define BMI and waist circumference (WC), cut-off values representing percentage fat mass (%FM) associated with adverse health outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional descriptive study of 285 5-14 year old Sri Lankan children (56% boys) was carried out. Fat mass (FM) was assessed using the isotope (D(2)O) dilution technique based on 2C body composition model. BMI and WC cut-off values were defined based on %FM associated with adverse health outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sri Lankan children had a low fat free mass index (FFMI) and a high fat mass index (FMI). Individuals with the same BMI had %FM distributed over a wide range. Lean body tissue grew very little with advancing age and weight gain was mainly due to increases in body fat. BMI corresponding to 25% in males and 35% in females at 18 years was 19.2 kg/m(2) and 19.7 kg/m(2), respectively. WC cut-off values for males and females were 68.4 cm and 70.4 cm, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This chart analysis clearly confirms that Sri Lankan children have a high %FM from a young age. With age, more changes occur in FM than in fat free mass (FFM). Although the newly defined BMI and WC cut-off values appear to be quite low, they are comparable to some recent data obtained in similar populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Colombo, Kynsey Road Colombo 08, Sri Lanka. pujithaw@yahoo.com
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Wickramasinghe
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Lamabadusuriya
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Cleghorn
authors.forename: P S W
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000453:epidemiology; D055105:Waist Circumference