title: Body mass index as a measure of percentage body fat prediction and excess adiposity diagnosis among Iranian adolescents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although various anthropometric methods are available for assessing body composition, these have not been compared in Iranian adolescents. The objective of the present study was to compare body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist to hip ratio (WHR), waist to height ratio (WHtR) and sum of four skinfolds as predictors of percentage body fat (PBF) and diagnosis of excess adiposity in Iranian adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study, all anthropometric measurements were made in133 adolescents (65 boys and 68 girls), aged 10-18 years.PBF was determined using the bioelectrical impedance analysis method. Linear regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were used to analyze the data. Potential covariates including sex, age, and pubertal stage were adjusted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  R(2)adj of models for BMI, WC, WHR, WHtR, and skinfolds were 0.67, 0.56, 0.19, 0.56, and 0.56, respectively (P < 0.001). The AUC value of BMI to differentiate between normal and obese adolescents was 0.92 (P < 0.001). The AUC of BMI was significantly higher than those of WC, WHR, and WHtR (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The performance of BMI is better than other anthropometric indices in predicting PBF and diagnosing excess adiposity in Iranian adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Obesity Research Center, Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.parvin.mirmiran@endocrine.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Hanieh-Sadat
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Ejtahed
authors.affiliation: Obesity Research Center, Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Golaleh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Asghari
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetic, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Parvin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mirmiran
authors.affiliation: Obesity Research Center, Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Somayeh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hosseinpour-Niazi
authors.affiliation: Obesity Research Center, Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Roya
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sherafat-KazemZadeh
authors.affiliation: Obesity Research Center, Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fereidoun
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Azizi
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D050154:Adiposity; D000293:Adolescent; D019540:Area Under Curve; D001823:Body Composition; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D055105:Waist Circumference; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio