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Updated: Apr 26, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Evaluation of simple body composition methods: assessment of validity in prepubertal Chilean children
C A Aguirre1, G D C Salazar1, D V Lopez de Romaña1
1Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos (INTA), Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Insights
Skinfold and bioelectrical impedance analyses (BIA) measurements can rank body fatness in children, but are not accurate for precise body composition descriptions in prepubertal Chilean youth.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Human Physiology
- Body Composition Analysis
Background:
- Assessing body fatness in children is crucial for monitoring health.
- Skinfold and bioelectrical impedance analyses (BIA) are common, accessible methods.
- Validation against a gold standard is needed for accurate body composition assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy of skinfold and BIA methods for estimating body fatness.
- To compare these estimations against a three-component (3C) model in prepubertal Chilean children.
- To identify potential differences based on sex and nutritional status.
Main Methods:
- Body composition of 424 Chilean children (198 female, 226 male) was assessed.
- Body fat percentage (BF%) was measured using Skinfold equations (Slaughter, Ramirez, Huang) and BIA (Tanita, Ramirez equation).
- A 3C model using isotope dilution and air displacement plethysmography served as the gold standard.
Main Results:
- Skinfold and BIA methods showed high R2 values, indicating good ranking ability.
- All tested equations and devices underestimated or overestimated BF% compared to the 3C model.
- Underestimation was notable with the Slaughter skinfold equation and Tanita BIA device.
Conclusions:
- Skinfold and BIA methods are useful for ranking body fatness in prepubertal children.
- These methods lack accuracy for precise body composition description in this population.
- Further research may be needed to refine these methods for pediatric populations.
Background/Objective:
The aim of this study was to assess the validity of body fatness estimations based on skinfolds and bioelectrical iImpedance analyses (BIA) measurements compared to a three-component model (3C model) in prepubertal Chilean children, considering potential differences by sex and nutritional status.
Subjects/Methods:
Four hundred and twenty four Chilean children (198 females and 226 males) were assessed for body composition. Body fat percentage (BF%) was evaluated by Skinfold equations (Slaughter, Ramirez and Huang) and Bioelectrical impedance (BIA: Tanita BC-418MA) using both the equipment and the Ramirez equation. Measurements based on a 3C model constructed from total body water estimates by isotope dilution and from body volume estimates by air displacement plethysmography were used as gold standard.
Results:
Coefficient of determination (R2) values were higher in overweight and in the whole group of both gender. All slopes were differed significantly from 1, and most intercepts were significantly different from 0. Skinfold Equations: an underestimation of BF% was found for all equations, being higher with the Slaughter equation. BIA: Tanita underestimated BF% in all groups, whereas Ramirez equation shows an overestimation.
Conclusions:
Skinfolds and bio-impedance equations serve well to rank children according to their BF%. However, these methods are not accurate for describing body composition in prepubertal Chilean children.
