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Bio-electrical impedance vector analysis: testing Piccoli's model against objective body composition data in children
Jonathan C K Wells1, Jane E Williams1, Rina Y Quek1
1Childhood Nutrition Research Centre, Population, Policy and Practice Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH, UK.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|September 1, 2018
Summary
Bio-electrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) shows promise for assessing body composition in children, but its accuracy in predicting fat-free mass is limited. Further research is needed to refine the BIVA model for pediatric use.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric body composition assessment
- Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)
- Nutritional status evaluation
Background:
- Bio-electrical impedance (BI) analysis is a simple method for body composition, but hydration variability complicates its use in sick or malnourished children.
- Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) offers a theoretical model to differentiate hydration from cell mass, potentially overcoming BI limitations.
- This study evaluated the BIVA model against reference methods in healthy children across a wide age and nutritional range.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the utility of the Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) model in assessing body composition in healthy children and adolescents.
- To evaluate how BIVA outcomes correlate with fat-free mass, hydration status, and adiposity.
- To determine the BIVA model's effectiveness in predicting body composition variability in a pediatric population.
Main Methods:
- Compiled body composition data from 291 children and adolescents (aged 4-20 years, European ancestry).
- Utilized anthropometry, BIVA outcomes (R/H, Xc/H, PA), and 4-component model for FFM, FM, and HFFM.
- Applied graphic and regression analyses to evaluate the BIVA model using age- and sex-standardized scores.
Main Results:
- Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) outcomes (R/H, Xc/H) declined with age, while phase angle (PA) increased linearly.
- BIVA outcomes showed negative correlations with fat-free mass (FFM), hydration, and fat mass (FM) standard deviation scores (SDS).
- Phase angle (PA) correlated positively with FFM-SDS but was unrelated to hydration or FM-SDS.
Conclusions:
- The BIVA model, while supported in adults with fluid issues, showed limited success in predicting FFM variability in healthy children.
- BIVA outcomes varied with hydration status (HFFM) as predicted, but not with FFM.
- Further research is required to develop a robust BIVA model for pediatric patients, even those without major fluid disturbances.