title: Prediction of body-fat percentage from skinfold and bio-impedance measurements in Indian school children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Few equations for calculating body-fat percentage (BF%) from field methods have been developed in South-Asian children. The objective of this study was to assess agreement between BF% derived from primary reference methods and that from skinfold equations and bio-impedance analysis (BIA) in Indian children.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured BF% in two groups of Indian children. In Pune, 570 rural children aged 6-8 years underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans. In Mysore (18)O in doubly labeled water was administered to 59 urban children aged 7-9 years. We conducted BIA at 50 kHz and anthropometry, including sub-scapular and triceps skinfold thicknesses. We used the published equations of Wickramasinghe, Shaikh, Slaughter and Dezenburg to calculate BF% from anthropometric data and the manufacturer's equation for BIA measurements. We assessed agreement with values derived from DXA and doubly labeled water using Bland-Altman analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children were light and thin on average compared with international standards. There was poor agreement between the reference BF% values and those from all equations. Assumptions for Bland-Altman analysis were not met for Wickramasinghe, Shaikh and Slaughter equations. The Dezenberg equations under-predicted BF% for most children (mean difference in Pune -13.4, LOA -22.7, -4.0 and in Mysore -7.9, LOA (-13.7 and -2.2). The mean bias for the BIA equation in Pune was +5.0% and in Mysore +1.95%, and the limits of agreement were wide; -5.0, 15.0 and -7.8, 11.7 respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Currently available skinfold equations do not accurately predict BF% in Indian children. We recommend development of BIA equations in this population using a four-compartment model.
authors: Medical Research Council-Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK. sk@mrc.soton.ac.uk
authors: S H
authors: SH
authors: Kehoe
authors: G V
authors: GV
authors: Krishnaveni
authors: H G
authors: HG
authors: Lubree
authors: A K
authors: AK
authors: Wills
authors: A M
authors: AM
authors: Guntupalli
authors: S R
authors: SR
authors: Veena
authors: D S
authors: DS
authors: Bhat
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Kishore
authors: C H D
authors: CH
authors: Fall
authors: C S
authors: CS
authors: Yajnik
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Kurpad
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D001823:Body Composition; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D013851:Thinness