title: shapecoder: a new method for visual quantification of body mass index in young children.
abstract: Few tools exist to quantify body mass index visually.
  
  
  
  To examine the inter-rater reliability and validity (sensitivity and specificity for overweight/obesity and obesity) of a three-dimensional visual rating system to quantify body mass index (BMI) in young children.
  
  
  
  Children (n = 242, mean age 5.9 years, 50.0% male; 40.5% overweight/ obese) participated in a videotaped protocol and weight and height were measured. Research staff applied a novel three-dimensional computer-based figure rating system (shapecoder) to the child's videotaped image. Inter-rater reliability was calculated, as well as correlation with measured body mass index (BMI) and sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for overweight/obesity and obesity.
  
  
  
  Inter-rater reliability was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.98). The correlation of shapecoder-generated BMI with measured BMI was 0.89. For overweight/obesity, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 62%, 97%, 94% and 79% respectively. For obesity, these values were 65%, 99%, 97% and 92% respectively.
  
  
  
  shapecoder provides a method to quantify child BMI from video images with high inter-rater reliability, fair sensitivity and good specificity for overweight/obesity and obesity. The approach offers an improvement over existing two-dimensional rating scales for BMI.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: B-K Daniel
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.|Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kaciroti
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Love
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.|Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Appugliese Professional Advisors, LLC, North Easton, USA.
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Appugliese
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.|Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.|Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lumeng
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012984:Software; D014743:Videotape Recording
keywords: Anthropometry; body image; obesity