title: A comparison of the Slaughter skinfold-thickness equations and BMI in predicting body fatness and cardiovascular disease risk factor levels in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although estimation of percentage body fat with the Slaughter skinfold-thickness equations (PBF(Slaughter)) is widely used, the accuracy of this method has not been well studied.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to determine the accuracy of the Slaughter skinfold-thickness equations.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared agreement between PBF(Slaughter) and estimations derived from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (PBF(DXA)) in 1169 children in the Pediatric Rosetta Body Composition Project and the relation to cardiovascular disease risk factors, as compared with body mass index (BMI), in 6725 children in the Bogalusa Heart Study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PBF(Slaughter) was highly correlated (r = 0.90) with PBF(DXA), but it markedly overestimated levels of PBF(DXA) in children with large skinfold thicknesses. In the 65 boys with a sum of skinfold thicknesses (subscapular- plus triceps-skinfold thicknesses) ≥ 50 mm, PBF(Slaughter) overestimated PBF(DXA) by 12 percentage points. The comparable overestimation in girls with a high skinfold sum was 6 percentage points. We also found that, after adjustment for sex and age, BMI showed slightly stronger associations with lipid, lipoprotein, insulin, and blood pressure values than did PBF(Slaughter).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that PBF(Slaughter), which was developed among a group of much thinner children and adolescents, is fairly accurate among nonobese children, but markedly overestimates the body fatness of children who have thick skinfold thicknesses. Furthermore, PBF(Slaughter) has no advantage over sex- and age-adjusted BMIs at identifying children who are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease based on lipid, lipoprotein, insulin, and blood pressure values.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, CDC, Atlanta, GA (DSF); the Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, National Institutes of Diabetes, Digestive Diseases, and Kidney Disorders, NIH, Bethesda, MD (MH); and the Tulane Center for Cardiovascular Health, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA (GSB).
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Freedman
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horlick
authors.forename: Gerald S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Berenson
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D050154:Adiposity; D000465:Algorithms; D001132:Arm; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006946:Hyperinsulinism / Q000209:etiology; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000209:etiology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology; D008145:Louisiana / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012540:Scapula; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D051598:Whole Body Imaging