Usefulness of bioelectric impedance and skinfold measurements in predicting fat-free mass derived from total body potassium in children

ABSTRACT ABSTRACT: Despite the increasing use of tetrapolar whole-body bioelectric impedance (BI) analysis in the assessment of body composition, its usefulness in estimating fat-free mass

(FFM) has not been evaluated in comparison with conventional skinfold anthropometry in children. We therefore compared _1_) the intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility of BI and

skinfold measurements and the derived FFM estimates, and 2) the predictability of FFM as calculated from measurements of total body potassium (TBK) using 40K spectrometry by equations based

on either BI or skinfold measurements in 112 healthy children, adolescents, and young adults aged 3.9 to 19.3 y. A best-fitting equation to predict TBK-derived FFM from BI and other

potential independent predictors was developed and cross validated in two randomly selected subgroups of the study population by stepwise multiple regression analysis. Although the technical

error associated with BI measurements was much smaller than that of skinfold measurements, the reproducibility of BI-derived FFM estimates (intraobserver coefficient of variation [CV],

0.39%; inter-observer CV, 1.23%) was only slightly better than that of FFM estimates obtained by use of weight and two skinfold measurements (0.62% and 1.39%, respectively). The cross

validation procedure yielded the following best-fitting prediction equation: FFM = 0.65. (height2/impedance) + 0.68-age + 0.15 (_R_2 = 0.975, root mean square error = 1.98 kg, CV = 5.8%, 95%

limits of agreement = −11.1% to + 12.4%). Conventional anthropometry, using published equations to estimate FFM from skinfolds, slightly overestimated TBK-derived FFM, but predicted FFM

with precision similar to the best-fitting equation involving BI. Previously published FFM equations incorporating BI predicted TBK-derived FFM with variable predictive precision and

accuracy. We conclude that BI analysis provides an alternative technique to assess FFM in children. At least within the range of normal body composition, its predictive power is similar to

that of established skinfold techniques. SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF ANTHROPOMETRIC PREDICTIVE EQUATIONS THAT ESTIMATE THE TOTAL BODY WATER AND

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OF A PROPOSED BMI FORMULA IN PREDICTING BODY FAT PERCENTAGE AMONG FILIPINO YOUNG ADULTS Article Open access 15 December 2020 ARTICLE PDF AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS *

University Children's Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany F Schaefer, M Georgi & K Schärer * Nuclear Research Centre, Karlsruhe, Germany A Zieger Authors * F Schaefer View author

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PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Schaefer, F., Georgi, M., Zieger, A. _et al._ Usefulness of Bioelectric Impedance and Skinfold Measurements in

Predicting Fat-Free Mass Derived from Total Body Potassium in Children. _Pediatr Res_ 35, 617–624 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199405000-00016 Download citation * Received: 15

April 1993 * Accepted: 16 December 1993 * Issue Date: 01 May 1994 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199405000-00016 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be

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