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Quetelet's index as a measure of body fatness in young infants
1MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit, Cambridge, U.K.
Insights
Quetelet
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Infant Body Composition Analysis
Background:
- Assessing infant body composition is challenging due to limited validated methods.
- Accurate body fat measurement is crucial for monitoring infant growth and health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the predictive accuracy of Quetelet's index (weight/height²) for body fatness in young infants.
- To compare Quetelet's index with a more accurate body composition method in infants.
Main Methods:
- Investigated Quetelet's index in male and female infants at 5 and 11 weeks of age.
- Determined fat mass using the deuterium dilution technique (²H₂¹⁸O).
- Correlated Quetelet's index with deuterium-derived fat mass.
Main Results:
- Quetelet's index showed significant correlation with fat mass in most infant groups.
- The index's predictive capacity was limited, explaining poor variation in body fatness.
- Prediction accuracy varied, notably in 11-week-old males.
Conclusions:
- Quetelet's index is not a reliable predictor of body fatness in young infants.
- Rapid changes in infant weight and length during early development impact the index's accuracy.
- Further research is needed for suitable infant body composition assessment tools.
Abstract:
There is a dearth of body composition techniques suitable for use in young infants. We have investigated the ability of Quetelet's index (W/H2) to predict body fatness in a group of male and female infants at 5 and 11 weeks of age. Fat-free mass and hence fat mass was determined using an H2 18O dilution technique. FM/H2 and Quetelet's index were significantly correlated in all but the male, 11 week old infants. However Quetelet's index could not be used in a predictive capacity because of the poor variation accounted for by the relationships. It is possible that Quetelet's index is a poor method of predicting body fatness in young infants because of the very rapid changes that are occurring in body weight and length at that time.