Toward body composition reference data for infants, children, and adolescents

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nutrition
• Anthropometry
• Body Composition Analysis

Background:

• Traditional growth charts (weight, height, BMI) have limitations in assessing children's nutritional status.
• Body mass index (BMI) does not differentiate between fat mass and lean mass.
• Recent advancements include growth charts for body composition using methods like skinfold, BIA, and DXA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the development and utility of body composition growth charts for children.
• To compare different methods for assessing body composition in pediatric populations.
• To discuss the application of body composition data in public health and clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing techniques such as skinfold thicknesses, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and air-displacement plethysmography.
• Developing age- and sex-specific SD scores for body composition parameters.
• Adapting methods for use in diverse settings, including low- and middle-income countries.

Main Results:

• BIA and skinfold methods show low bias but wider agreement limits compared to specialized techniques for public health research.
• DXA is optimal for individual patient assessment, while multicomponent models are ideal for addressing lean mass variations.
• Body composition growth charts can be extended across the life course, from infancy to adulthood.

Conclusions:

• Body composition growth charts provide crucial insights into nutritional status beyond BMI, particularly for fat and lean mass.
• These charts are valuable tools for understanding the impact of factors like low birth weight, wasting, and stunting.
• Future research may explore genetic influences on body composition and the potential for universal reference data, improving the understanding of growth, body composition, health, and disease associations.