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Updated: Apr 30, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Methodologies to assess paediatric adiposity
1University College Dublin Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine and Medical Science, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland, mary.horan@ucdconnect.ie.
Insights
Accurate assessment of childhood adiposity is crucial for identifying at-risk children. Core clinical measurements like BMI are sufficient for diagnosing paediatric overweight and obesity, with advanced tools offering further insights.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Public Health
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Childhood obesity increases the risk of adult obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.
- Accurate assessment of childhood adiposity is essential for early identification of at-risk children.
- This review examines clinical and technical tools for assessing paediatric adiposity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review core clinical measurements for assessing paediatric adiposity.
- To examine technical tools for assessing paediatric adiposity.
- To determine the most appropriate techniques for identifying children at risk of obesity.
Main Methods:
- Searched PubMed, CINALH, and EMBASE databases for relevant studies.
- Reviewed abstracts to identify appropriate studies on childhood adiposity measurement.
- Searched reference lists of identified publications for further eligible studies.
Main Results:
- Core clinical measurements (weight, height, BMI, circumferences) are sufficient for classifying paediatric overweight and obesity using growth charts.
- Technical tools like DEXA and ADP accurately measure adiposity but cannot differentiate fat depots.
- MRI and CT can distinguish intra-abdominal from subcutaneous adiposity, with MRI being a gold standard; CT is unsuitable for children due to radiation.
Conclusions:
- Core clinical measurements are adequate for diagnosing paediatric overweight and obesity.
- Advanced tools provide deeper insights into body composition but have limitations and higher costs.
- A combination of methods may be necessary for comprehensive adiposity assessment in children.
Introduction:
Childhood obesity is associated with increased risk of adult obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Appropriate techniques for assessment of childhood adiposity are required to identify children at risk. The aim of this review was to examine core clinical measurements and more technical tools to assess paediatric adiposity.
Methods:
The online databases PubMed, CINALH and EMBASE were searched and the abstracts identified were reviewed to determine appropriate studies. Their reference lists were also searched to identify further eligible studies. Publications were included if they described childhood measurement techniques or involved validation.
Results And Discussion:
There are many body composition assessment tools available, none of which are direct. Each technique has limitations and a combination of methods may be used. The main clinical techniques are weight, height, body mass index (BMI) and circumferences which provide sufficient information to enable classification of overweight or obesity when growth centile charts and ratios are employed. Further investigation depends on resources available and examiner skill. Skinfold thicknesses are cost-effective but require technical training and only measure subcutaneous fat. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), air displacement plethysmography (ADP), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) are more costly and intensive, requiring the child to remain still for longer periods. DEXA and ADP are capable of accurately measuring adiposity but are unable to distinguish between fat depots. MRI and CT can distinguish intra-abdominal from subcutaneous adiposity and are considered gold standards, but CT is unsuitable for adiposity measurement in children due to high levels of radiation exposure. Ultrasound is a promising technique capable of measuring intra-abdominal adiposity in children but requires further validation.
Conclusion:
The core clinical measurements of weight, height, BMI and circumferences are sufficient to enable diagnosis of paediatric overweight and obesity while more technical tools provide further insight.
