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• Body mass index cannot detect depletion of fat free mass. • Since 1995 triceps skinfold thickness and arm circumference were assessed routinely. • Longitudinally, arm muscle area showed lower z- scores than body mass index. • At 6–17.9 years arm muscle area declined earlier than weight or body mass index. • Arm muscle area could be used to detect an imminent decline of fat-free mass. In cystic fibrosis, adequate nutrition contributes to good long-term prognosis. A body mass index (BMI) at or above the 50th percentile for age and sex in all children has been recommended. As researchers have described a depletion of fat-free mass despite normal BMI, longitudinal studies using more sensitive nutritional parameters are warranted. We evaluated anthropometric measurements in an attempt to identify early indicators of deteriorating nutritional status in our paediatric cohort. We analysed datasets from children and adolescents between 2 and 17.9 years with at least two entries for triceps skinfold thickness and upper arm circumference in our patient database between January 1995 and December 2018. Arm muscle area (AMA) was calculated, and all values were expressed as z- scores from CDC growth charts. A total of 4,862 encounters from 161 paediatric patients (78 girls) were available, representing a median number of 28 visits during a median follow-up of 8.1 years per patient. Linear mixed effects models revealed relatively stable courses for weight, height, BMI and skinfold thickness up to adulthood. AMA was the only parameter which declined slightly (r = -0.036), particularly in boys. Kaplan-Meier-analyses showed that AMA was the earliest parameter to decrease below -1 z- score between 6 and 18 years. The present data suggest that compared with weight or BMI, AMA could serve as an earlier indicator of a deteriorating nutritional status. The benefit of assessing skinfold thickness and arm circumference routinely and calculating AMA from these measurements should be evaluated in large, prospective, multi-centre studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Skinfold measurement is an inexpensive and widely used technique for assessing the percentage of body fat (%BF). This study assessed the accuracy of prediction equations for %BF based on skinfold measurements compared to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in girls with type 1 diabetes and healthy age-matched controls.Methods: We included 49 healthy girls and 44 girls with diabetes aged 12-19 years old, comparing the predicted %BF based on skinfold measurements and the %BF values obtained by a Lunar DPX-L scanner. The agreement between the methods was assessed using an Bland-Altman plot.Results: The skinfold measurements were significantly higher in girls with diabetes (p = 0.003) despite a nonsignificant difference in total %BF (p = 0.1). A significant association between bias and %BF was found for all tested equations in the Bland-Altman plots. Regression analysis showed that the association between skinfold measurements and %BF measured by DXA differed significantly (p = 0.039) between the girls with diabetes and the healthy controls.Conclusion: The accuracy of skinfold thickness equations for assessment of %BF in adolescent girls with diabetes is poor in comparison with DXA measurements as criterion. Our findings highlight the need for the development of new prediction equations for girls with type 1 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Background: The prevalence of obesity is increasing globally, making it a growing pandemic affecting adults and children. Obesity is associated with multiple morbidities and mortalities increasing the burden on the health care system., Objective: There is inadequacy of data in Nigeria on the prevalence of obesity among adult patients with hypertension and adequate data on these conditions would help in their comprehensive management., Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 354 patients with hypertension, and the systematic sampling technique was used to recruit patients. The data were analysed using SPSS software version 23. Logistic regressions and linear regressions were done to determine the predictors of obesity and blood pressure levels., Results: The mean age of the respondents was 52.60(SD±8.26) years and the prevalence of obesity was 53.1%. After adjusting for other variables, the predictors of obesity were female sex. Females were about six times more likely to be obese than males (OR=6.23; 95%CI= 3.16 - 12.32). For every 1 unit increase in triceps skinfold, there was a statistically significant increase in diastolic blood pressure by about 2.77units (95% C.I equals 2.63 to 2.91, p-value= 0.0001). Also, for every 1 unit increase in biceps skinfold, there was a statistically significant increase in systolic blood pressure by about 5.78 units (95% C.I equals 5.46- 6.10, p-value= 0.0001)., Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity was high, and the predictors of obesity were female sex. Triceps skinfold measurements were predictors of diastolic blood pressure while biceps skinfold measurements were predictors of systolic blood pressure., (© Association of Resident Doctors, UCH, Ibadan.)

Objective: This study aimed to determine associations of anthropometric measures of thigh and abdominal adipose tissue with metabolic risk factors and whether associations differed by ethnicity. We hypothesized that thigh circumference (ThC) would have a favorable association with insulin sensitivity, lipids, and blood pressure, whereas waist circumference (WC) would have deleterious association with these variables in both African Americans (AA) and European Americans (EA). Methods: Subjects were 228 healthy, overweight, premenopausal AA and EA women. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by intravenous glucose tolerance test and minimal modeling. Simple relationships between anthropometric measures and risk factors were determined by Pearson correlation analysis. Partial correlation coefficients were determined for circumference measures adjusted for thigh and abdominal skinfolds to differentiate relationships between thigh and abdominal subcutaneous fat from thigh muscle and deeper abdominal fat, respectively. Results: In EA but not AA, ThC was positively associated with insulin sensitivity, independent of thigh skinfold. In both EA and AA, ThC was associated with a desirable lipid profile. In AA but not EA, WC was associated with lower insulin sensitivity and a less desirable metabolic profile. Conclusion: Results suggest that thigh muscle (ThC adjusted for thigh skinfold) may be metabolically protective in EA but not AA. In contrast, WC was a better indicator of insulin sensitivity and metabolic health in AA. Further investigation is needed to verify the association between thigh muscle and metabolic health and to determine reasons for the observed ethnic specificity of the associations between anthropometric measures and metabolic risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate assessment of body composition is essential in the evaluation of obesity. While laboratory methods are commonly used to assess fat mass, field measures (e.g., skinfold thickness [SKF] and bioelectrical impedance [BIA]) may be more practical for screening large numbers of individuals in intervention studies. In this study, a correlational design was used among 46 racially and ethnically diverse, sedentary women (mean age = 25.73 years) to (a) compare the percentage of body fat as determined by SKF and the upper body BIA and (b) examine the effects of body mass index (BMI), racial/ethnic background, age, and stage of the menstrual cycle on differences in the estimated percentage of body fat obtained using the SKF and BIA. Overall, a significant correlation between SKF and BIA (r = .98, p < .001) was found, with similar findings among Black, Hispanic and White non-Hispanic women. The mean differences between BIA and SKF were not significantly correlated with BMI, age, race/ethnicity or stage of the menstrual cycle. Data from this study suggest that BIA showed similar body fat prediction values compared with SKF and may be a viable alternative to SKF among diverse groups of healthy women. Additional testing and comparison of these field methods with the laboratory methods of hydrodensitometry or dual energy X-ray absorptiometry is recommended to further determine whether BIA devices can be routinely recommended as an alternative to the SKF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the relationship between blood pressure (BP), fat patterns and fitness parameters of Ellisras children aged 7–13 years. Furthermore, an assessment of body fat patterns was done to determine the subjects with the highest risk of overweight, hypertension and waist-to-hip ratio above the 90th percentile. Data were collected from 1817 subjects (938 boys and 879 girls), aged 7–13 years, participating in the Ellisras Longitudinal Study. Anthropometric measurements were taken according to the standard procedure of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry. The EUROFIT test items were used to test the physical fitness of 1192 subjects (634 boys and 558 girls). Obesity was defined using the international recommended cutoff points for body mass index (BMI) in children. Hypertension was defined as the occurrence of BP levels greater or equal to the 95th percentile of height- and sex-adjusted reference levels. The prevalence of hypertension ranged from 1 to 11.4% and that of overweight 0.6–4.6%. Waist girth, BMI, triceps and subscapular skinfold showed significant (P<0.001–0.05) correlation with other fat pattern parameters (r ranging from −0.157 to 0.978) compared with significant correlations (P<0.001–0.05) with BP (r ranging from −0.071 to 0.164). Children with waist girth greater than the 90th percentile are more likely to have multiple risk factors than the children with a waist girth that is less than or equal to the 90th percentile. Longitudinal studies should verify whether changes in waist girth and skinfolds will indicate changes in cardiovascular risk factors during growth.Journal of Human Hypertension (2008) 22, 311–319; doi:10.1038/jhh.2008.3; published online 14 February 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between thigh skinfold measurement, hand grip strength, and trunk muscle endurance and compare this relationship in men and women. The current study included 200 healthy subjects (111 women and 89 men), with a mean age of 31.58±13.78 y. Trunk muscle endurance was evaluated with the use of curl-up, horizontal side bridge, and static back endurance tests. Significant differences were found between women and men in performance of the curl-up and horizontal side bridge tests ( P< .05); however, no significant difference was found between the sexes in the static back endurance test scores ( P≥.05). The investigators discerned a significant negative correlation between thigh skinfold measurements and all trunk muscle endurance tests in female patients (curl-up, r=−.501; horizontal side bridge, r=−.454; static back, r=−.479; P< .05). A rather weak correlation was found in male patients (curl-up, r=−.348; horizontal side bridge, r=−.182; static back, r=−.330; P< .05). On the other hand, no significant correlation was found between hand grip strength and trunk muscle endurance test scores in female patients ( P≥.05), although a significant positive correlation was found in male patients in curl-up and side bridge test results (curl-up, r=.319; horizontal side bridge, r=.307; static back, r=.123; P< .05). The results of this study suggest that women have lower endurance test scores compared with men. The investigators detected the presence of a significant negative correlation between thigh skinfold measurement and trunk muscle endurance tests in both men and women and concluded that there is a positive significant relationship between hand grip strength, curl-up, and horizontal side bridge tests. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the relationship between muscle endurance and physical characteristics as they relate to the sex of the individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship and effect of monthly household income, birth order, and number of siblings on adult body dimensions, adiposity index, and body composition among adult Bengali females. One hundred seventy-one adult Bengali females, age 20.35 ± 1.51 years (mean ± SD; range: 18-21 years) from Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) were studied. Anthropometric measures (weight, height, waist circumference, hip circumference, and triceps, biceps, subscapular, suprailiac, and medial calf skinfold thicknesses) were taken from all participants using standard protocols. BMI and log10 of the sum of the five skinfold thicknesses were computed subsequently. Percentage of body fat was estimated from the triceps skinfold thickness following the equation of Durnin and Womersley (1974), and fat mass was then calculated. Results of the correlation analysis revealed that monthly household income had significant ( p<0.05) positive association with all anthropometric variables. Birth order and number of siblings showed significant ( p<0.05) inverse association. The correlation of monthly household income with anthropometric variables was much stronger for number of siblings and birth order. The results of the analysis of variance showed that monthly household income, birth order, and number of siblings (tertiles used to categorize all variables) had significant effects ( p<0.05) on anthropometric variables, indicating differences in adult body dimensions, the adiposity index, and body composition in relation to income, birth order, and number of siblings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a discussion on body composition in bulimia nervosa patients. Bulimia nervosa (BN) is characterized by recurrent binge eating in combination with compensatory weight-controlling behaviors such as self-induced vomiting, abuse of laxatives or diuretics, episodes of restrictive food intake and excessive exercising. The majority of patients remain at normal weight. The article examines the body composition in underweight, normal-weight and overweight BN patients in comparison with healthy sedentary females, to assess the changes in body composition and fat after five months treatment.

Background Various anthropometric techniques are used to assess total body water in children on dialysis; however, their predictive accuracy and precision has not been validated. Methods We compared total body water measurements obtained by deuterium oxide (D2O) dilution with predictions of total body water from (1) height and weight, (2) skinfold measurements, and (3) bioelectrical impedance analysis, using previously published formulae for healthy children. Measurements were performed in 14 patients on peritoneal and in nine patients on haemodialysis, aged 4–22 years. Results In the total population of dialysed patients, weight was the strongest single predictor of total body water (R2=0.93) followed by the resistance index (RI=height2/impedance; R2=0.85) and height (R2=0.93). A prediction formula based on height and weight predicted total body water with a residual mean square error (RMSE) of 1.97 l (coefficient of variation (CV)=10.0%) and with a systematic overestimation of true total body water by 0.4%. A prediction equation based on skinfold measurements yielded a total body water estimate with an RMSE of 2.15 1 (CV=10.5%) and overpredicted true total body water by an average of 2.2%. Using three published prediction equations incorporating RI, RMSEs of 2.78 1 (CV=14.1%) with a mean under- or overestimation of true total body water by 6.9, 7.1, and 0.8% respectively, were achieved. The prediction of total body water was optimized by linear combinations of RI or the log-transformed sum of four skinfolds (logsum) with weight by the following equations: Conclusions Both skinfold measurements and bioelectrical impedance analysis can be used to improve the height- and weight- based prediction of total body water in children on dialysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]