title: Relationship between body mass index and body fat in children-Age and gender differences.
abstract: When defining obesity body mass index (BMI) has been used as the main criterion. However it indicates only the nutritional status, whereas body fat demonstrates the real body composition picture. This study aimed at analyzing the relationship between nutritional status and adiposity in the population of 2284 Serbian children (1217 boys and 1067 girls). According to BMI subjects were divided into underweight, normal-weight, overweight and obese, and %BF values (based on skinfold thickness measurements) were analyzed with regard to BMI-category, age and gender. Girls showed stronger correlation between BMI and %BF comparing to boys (r = 0.834 vs. 0.577). Differences in %BF between underweight, normal weight and overweight children from different age groups were more obvious in girls, whereas in boys younger than 8 years overlapping in %BF values between different BMI-categories was registered. In normal weight children we found age-related oscillations in %BF values: 8- and 9-year-old boys had lower %BF comparing to 7-year-old boys, which was followed by %BF increasement in 10- and 11-year-old ones; in girls %BF values gradually increased with aging, with significant jumps in 9-, 10- and 11-year-old ones. Thus, adiposity rebound may appear somehow later in boys. In overweight and obese children of both genders %BF continually increased with aging, whereas in underweight children %BF values remained unchanged. Our results pointed to age- and gender-dependent variations of %BF in normal weight and overweight children. We also indicated inconsistency between %BF and BMI especially in boys, and the need for definition of references for %BF.:
authors: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Novi Sad, Serbia. Electronic address:bixina@eunet.rs.
authors: Biljana
authors: B
authors: Srdić
authors: Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, Novi Sad, Serbia.
authors: Borislav
authors: B
authors: Obradović
authors: Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, Novi Sad, Serbia.
authors: Goran
authors: G
authors: Dimitrić
authors: Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Internal Disease, Clinical Centre Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia.
authors: Edita
authors: E
authors: Stokić
authors: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Novi Sad, Serbia.
authors: Siniša S
authors: SS
authors: Babović