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Assessment of body composition measured by bioelectrical impedance in children
1Department of Pediatrics, Nihon University, School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Insights
Bioelectrical impedance methods reliably estimate body fat percentage in children. This study found strong correlations between bioelectrical impedance and conventional anthropometry, validating its use for assessing lipid storage in pediatric populations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Body Composition Analysis
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is established for estimating body fat percentage (%BF) in adults.
- Conventional anthropometry methods are widely used for assessing body composition in children.
- Validating alternative methods for pediatric body fat estimation is crucial for health monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the validity and reliability of bioelectrical impedance methods for estimating %BF in healthy children.
- To compare BIA-derived %BF with conventional anthropometric measurements.
- To assess the utility of BIA for evaluating lipid storage in pediatric subjects.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 1,216 healthy children.
- Measurement of impedance and skinfold thickness for %BF estimation using BIA (%BFi).
- Measurement of body weight and height to calculate %OB and BMI.
Main Results:
- %BFi values showed distinct ranges for junior and senior male and female groups.
- A strong positive correlation was observed between %BFi and skinfold thickness.
- %BFi demonstrated strong correlations with %OB and BMI, indicating consistency with conventional methods.
Conclusions:
- Bioelectrical impedance analysis is a reliable method for estimating body fat percentage in children.
- BIA provides a valid alternative to conventional anthropometry for assessing pediatric body composition.
- The findings support the use of BIA for monitoring lipid storage and associated health risks in children.
Abstract:
Bioelectrical impedance methods have been found to be a valid and reliable way of estimating per cent body fat (%BF) in adults. We applied them to healthy children and compared them with conventional anthropometry methods. One thousand two hundred and sixteen children participated in this study. Impedance and skinfold thickness were measured, and %BF was estimated using these values. Bodyweight and height were measured, and per cent obesity (%OB) and body mass index (BMI) were obtained. The values of %BF by the bioelectrical impedance method (%BFi) were 8.6 +/- 4.0% in the junior male group, 14.2 +/- 2.8% in the junior female group, 7.9 +/- 4.7% in the senior male group and 16.1 +/- 2.9% in the senior female group. The %BFi correlated strongly with skinfold thickness, %OB and BMI. Thus %BFi correlated strongly with variables from conventional methods. It was concluded that it is a reliable way of assessing lipid storage in children.