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Updated: Jul 3, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
[Body composition by simple anthropometry, bioimpedance and DXA in preschool children: interrelationships among
Patricia N Rodríguez1, Enrique F Bermúdez, Gabriela S Rodríguez
1Cátedra de Bioquímica General y Bucal, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. patriciaguez@hotmail.com
Insights
Body composition methods like bioelectrical impedance (BIA) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) correlate in children, but BIA underestimates body fat percentage compared to DXA.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric nutrition and body composition analysis.
- Anthropometry and advanced body scanning techniques.
Background:
- Accurate body composition assessment is crucial for monitoring child health.
- Simple anthropometry, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) are common methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationships between body composition variables obtained from anthropometry, BIA, and DXA.
- To compare the accuracy and agreement of these methods in preschool children.
Main Methods:
- 230 healthy preschool children (4-6 years) were assessed.
- Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were measured.
- Body fat percentage (%BF) was determined using BIA and DXA.
Main Results:
- BMI and WC showed no significant sex differences.
- BIA-derived %BF was significantly lower than DXA-derived %BF.
- While correlations were strong, Bland-Altman analysis revealed wide limits of agreement, indicating BIA underestimates %BF compared to DXA.
Conclusions:
- Anthropometric, BIA, and DXA methods for estimating body composition in children show high correlations.
- Despite correlations, BIA and DXA are not interchangeable for assessing body fat percentage in this age group.
Objective:
To examine the interrelationships of body composition variables derived from simple anthropometry, bioelectrical impedance (BIA) and dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
Population, Material And Methods:
A total of 230 healthy preschool children (118 males and 112 females) age 4-6 years, attending a day care center, were examined to determine body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). Percentage of body fat content (%BF) was predicted by BIA (Maltron BF- 900) and DXA (Lunar DPX-L, pediatric software).
Results:
BMI and WC did not show significant differences among sex, while %BF by BIA or DXA did. BIA measures were lower than DXA s (p <0.0001). Correlation between BIA vs. anthropometric methods and WC vs. DXA were moderate (Pearson r= 0.43 to 0.53), whereas the other correlations were strong (r= 0.71 to 0.83). However Bland Altman comparison showed wide limits of agreement between BIA and DXA; BIA significantly underestimated %BF as determined by DXA (p <0.0001).
Conclusion:
The methods used to estimate body composition in healthy preschool children highly correlated. However, the Bland Altman procedure suggests that BIA and DXA should not be used interchangeably.
