title: Distribution of body composition index and the relationship with blood pressure among children aged 7 to 12 years in Shandong, China.
abstract: Body mass index (BMI) is widely used to assess the prevalence of childhood obesity in populations, and the relationship of BMI with blood pressure has been observed. However, no study has reported on the distribution of body composition index and the relationship with blood pressure. The present study examined the distribution of body composition index and the relationship with blood pressure among children aged 7 to 12 years in Shandong, China. A total of 4326 students (2165 boys and 2161 girls) aged 7 to 12 years participated in this study. Height, weight, skinfold thickness, and blood pressure of all the subjects were measured. Body fat percentage (BF%) was calculated by regression equation, and fat mass index (FMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI) were calculated according to following expressions: FMI = BF% × weight/height(2) and FFMI = (weight - BF% × weight)/height(2). The 50th percentile values of FMI and FFMI increased with age in both sexes. The mean values of FFMI were significantly higher in boys than in girls (P < .01), but no statistically significant differences in mean FMI between the 2 sexes were observed (P > .05). Both systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were significantly positively related to FMI and FFMI in both boys and girls (P < .05). FMI and FFMI are potentially useful in evaluating the body composition of individuals with different stature. There is a strong positive relationship between FMI and blood pressure in children; these findings emphasize the importance of the prevention of obesity in children and adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Shandong Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong, China. sdcdczyx@163.com
authors.forename: Ying-Xiu
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shu-Rong
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D050218:Body Fat Distribution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology; D012885:Skinfold Thickness