title: How useful is BMI in predicting adiposity indicators in a sample of Maya children and women with high levels of stunting?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Body mass index (BMI) is used frequently to estimate adiposity levels in children and adults. However, the applicability of BMI to populations with high levels of stunting has been questioned. Stunted people can have disproportionately short legs, which may increase BMI without increasing body fat because of the relatively larger trunk compared with the legs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 57 urban Maya schoolchildren, aged 7-9 years (31 boys), and 53 adult women underwent anthropometric assessments and bioelectrical impedance analysis. Multiple linear regression was performed to determine whether the ability of BMI to predict adiposity indicators is altered by stunting and sitting height ratio (SHR). The adiposity indicators were waist circumference, sum of skinfolds, upper arm muscle area, upper arm fat area, and arm fat index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BMI was the strongest predictor of all adiposity indicators and in most cases, explained more of the variance in adiposity of Maya children than Maya women. Abdominal adiposity was better predicted by BMI than peripheral adiposity in Maya women and Maya children. Stunting was significant in predicting adiposity in some models but never substantially changed the variance explained. SHR was never a significant predictor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The relationship between BMI and adiposity indicators is not changed by stunting status or body proportions in this short population of urban Maya children and women. BMI can be used as an indicator of adiposity for these children but not the women. It is recommended that BMI is used in conjunction with other estimates of body composition.
authors.affiliation: School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, United Kingdom. H.Wilson@lboro.ac.uk
authors.forename: Hannah J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dickinson
authors.forename: Paula L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Azcorra
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bogin
authors.forename: Maria Inês
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Varela-Silva
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D001823:Body Composition; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014505:Urban Population