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Predictive Fat Mass Equations for Children With Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Francesca Penagini1, Alessandro Leone2, Barbara Borsani3
1Department of Pediatrics, "V. Buzzi" Hospital.
Insights
Accurate fat mass percentage (FM%) prediction in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is possible using anthropometry. The sum of four skinfolds offers the best accuracy, while two skinfolds provide a feasible alternative for estimating body composition.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Body Composition Analysis
- Nutritional Assessment
Background:
- Accurate body composition assessment is crucial for managing pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- Traditional methods like Body Mass Index (BMI) and skinfold thicknesses may have limitations in predicting fat mass percentage (FM%) in this population.
- Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is a reference standard but is not always accessible.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy of skinfold thicknesses and BMI in predicting FM% in children with IBD.
- To develop and validate population-specific anthropometric formulae for estimating FM% in pediatric IBD patients.
- To provide a practical alternative to DEXA for body composition assessment in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 30 children with IBD and 144 healthy controls (HCs).
- Anthropometric measurements including skinfold thicknesses and BMI were collected.
- DEXA scans were performed to determine FM% as the reference standard.
- Four prediction models were developed and compared for accuracy.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in DEXA-measured FM% was observed between IBD children and HCs.
- The sum of four skinfolds (biceps, triceps, suprailiac, subscapular) demonstrated the highest accuracy (88% of variance explained) in predicting FM%.
- The sum of two skinfolds (biceps + triceps) showed good accuracy (86% of variance) and improved feasibility over single skinfolds or BMI (68% of variance).
Conclusions:
- The sum of four skinfolds is the most accurate anthropometric predictor of FM% in pediatric IBD.
- A formula based on two skinfolds offers a less complex yet reliable alternative for estimating body composition.
- Developed population-specific formulae provide a valuable, non-invasive tool for body composition assessment in pediatric IBD, complementing DEXA.
Objective:
Evaluate accuracy of skinfold thicknesses and body mass index (BMI) for the prediction of fat mass percentage (FM%) in paediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and to develop population-specific formulae based on anthropometry for estimation of FM%.
Methods:
IBD children (n = 30) and healthy controls (HCs, n = 144) underwent anthropometric evaluation and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan, as the clinical reference for measurement of body composition. Body FM% estimated with skinfolds thickness was compared with FM% measured with DEXA. By means of 4 prediction models, population specific formulae for estimation of FM% were developed.
Results:
No significant difference in terms of FM% measured by DEXA was found between IBD population and HCs (FM% 29.6% vs 32.2%, P = 0.108). Triceps skinfold thickness (TSF, Model 2) was better than BMI (Model 1) at predicting FM% (82% vs 68% of variance). The sum of 2 skinfolds (biceps + triceps; SF2, Model 3) showed an improvement in the prediction of FM% as compared with TSF, Model 2 (86% vs 82% of variance). The sum of 4 skinfolds (biceps + triceps + suprailiac + subscapular; Model 4) showed further improvement in the prediction of FM% as compared with SF2 (88% vs 86% of variance).
Conclusions:
The sum of 4 skinfolds is the most accurate in predicting FM% in paediatric IBD. The sum of 2 skinfolds is less accurate but more feasible and less prone to error. The newly developed population-specific formulae could be a valid tool for estimation of body composition in IBD population and an alternative to DEXA measurement.
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