Percentiles of body composition from bioelectrical impedance and body measurements in U.S. adolescents 8–17 years old: Project HeartBeat!

Abstract

Reference percentiles (5th, 10th, 50th, 85th, 90th, and 95th) of black and nonblack children ages 8-17 years from Project HeartBeat! (n = 678) are presented for body mass index (BMI), percent body fat (PBF), fat-free mass (FFM), and fat mass (FM) derived from bioelectrical impedance. Project HeartBeat! is a mixed longitudinal study in which three cohorts of children (seen initially at age 8, 11, or 14 years) were followed for 4 years and measured thrice-yearly from 1991 through 1995. Weight, height, and BMI of Project HeartBeat! children are similar in central tendency and variability to those of nationally representative samples for nonblack children but not black children, for whom there is an excess of children at or above the 95th percentile for weight and BMI. Values of PBF above which cardiovascular risk variables increase (as suggested in the literature) are located at the 85th percentile of the Project HeartBeat! distributions. This percentile of PBF may be tentatively considered as a cutoff point with epidemiological significance for children.

Anthropometric body fat composition reference values in Spanish adolescents. The AVENA Study

“…Morrison et al (2001) reported BF% values obtained with the same equations, in females aged 9-19 years; when compared with our girls, BF% values were higher in American children, except for white females at the age of 13 years. Mueller et al (2004) used quantile regression models or minimum absolute deviation models for the assessment of BF% percentile values; showing that all female percentile values were similar in American and in Spanish adolescents of the same age group; however, the highest percentiles in males Spanish adolescents were higher than the American ones (percentiles 5 and 50 were very similar in both populations). This finding can be due to the different method used to calculate percentile values, but also to the real situation of the two populations.…”

“…Published references values are one of five critical characteristics that a field measure of body composition should have (Mueller et al, 2004). Published reference values of body composition in adolescents are very scarce, particularly for the assessment of body fat, and this hinders the accurate identification of over-or under-nutrition.…”

“…Published reference values of body composition in adolescents are very scarce, particularly for the assessment of body fat, and this hinders the accurate identification of over-or under-nutrition. Very recently, Mueller et al (2004) presented reference percentiles for body fat percentage, fat-free mass and fat mass estimated from impedance and body measurements, in US adolescents.…”

Developing waist-to-height ratio cut-offs to define overweight and obesity in children and adolescents

“…This index may be superior to BMI and WC, because it incorporates the WC as a measure of abdominal adiposity, but also adjusts for the size of the individual by dividing by their height. The use of this index has been proposed because of its ability to explain the metabolic consequences of obesity and identify abdominal obesity, particularly in individuals who may not be classed as overweight or obese by BMI (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27) . In male and female adults, a WHtR value of $0?5 classifies the individual (who may or may not be overweight according to BMI) to be at significantly greater risk of the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular comorbidities than a person with a WHtR ,0?5 (26,27) .…”

“…In male and female adults, a WHtR value of $0?5 classifies the individual (who may or may not be overweight according to BMI) to be at significantly greater risk of the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular comorbidities than a person with a WHtR ,0?5 (26,27) . This WHtR cut-off was established based on studies that assessed strengths of associations between body composition, BF distribution and tests to assess cardiovascular health, such as blood pressure (BP) and blood lipid profiles (total cholesterol (T-Chol), TAG, LDL-C and HDL-C) (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32) . Statistical analysis using correlations and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis found that cut-offs close to 0?5 to be most sensitive in correctly identifying persons with elevated cardiovascular health risks.…”