ESTIMATION OF FEMALE BODY FAT PERCENTAGE BASED ON BODY CIRCUMFERENCES

Salamunes, Ana Carla Chierighini; Stadnik, Adriana Maria Wan; Neves, Eduardo Borba

doi:10.1590/1517-869220182402181175

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Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte

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ORIGINAL ARTICLES, CINEANTHROPOMETRY • Rev Bras Med Esporte 24 (02) • Mar-Apr 2018 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1517-869220182402181175 copy

ESTIMATION OF FEMALE BODY FAT PERCENTAGE BASED ON BODY CIRCUMFERENCES

ESTIMATIVA DE PORCENTAGEM DE GORDURA CORPORAL EM MULHERES COM BASE EM CIRCUNFERÊNCIAS CORPORAIS

ESTIMACIÓN DEL PORCENTAJE DE GRASA CORPORAL EN MUJERES BASADA EM CIRCUNFERENCIAS CORPORALES

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

The increase in the prevalence of obesity entails the need for accurate low-cost methods to estimate body fat percentage (BF%).

Objective:

The aim of this study was to develop mathematical models to estimate the BF% of young women from southern Brazil using inexpensive equipment, based on body circumferences (BC), considering the shortage of specific studies of this population.

Methods:

Subjects were women (n=130) aged 18 to 35 years (26.06±4.41 years), from the city of Curitiba. Body mass and stature were measured and used to estimate body mass index (BMI), while BC measurements of the arm, forearm, waist (narrowest point and umbilicus), abdomen, hip, thigh and leg were taken for use in the mathematical models. Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) equipment recorded the BF%. Pearson’s correlation was used for anthropometric variables and age in association with BF%. The indicators with best correlations were used to estimate linear regression mathematical models for prediction of BF%. The results of the two models and of nine anthropometric equations were compared to those obtained with the DXA using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and paired t-test.

Results:

Age was not significantly correlated with BF% (r=0.113 and p=0.200). The BCs with the highest correlations with BF% were abdomen, hip and waist - umbilicus (r=0.697, 0.682, 0.660, respectively, and p<0.001). Eight equations showed positive correlation with BF%, but only the results obtained with the models estimated in this study did not differ from those of DXA, with paired t-test. Mathematical models were developed with three (r=0.744, r²=0.554; t=0.16 and p=0.869) and six (r=0.768, r²=0.591; t=-0.04 and p=0.967) anthropometric variables.

Conclusion:

The use of mathematical models developed for estimating BF% based on body circumference and body mass is considered feasible. Level of Evidence II; Diagnostic studies - Investigating a diagnostic test.

Keywords:
Body composition; X-ray absorptiometry; Anthropometry; Women

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[1] Correspondence: Ana Carla Chierighini Salamunes Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Biomédica. Av. Silva Jardim, 807, Bloco V3, Curitiba, PR, Brazil. 80230-000. anacarlasalamunes@yahoo.com.br

Variable	Mean ± Standard deviation	Pearson’s correlation (r)	p-value
Age	26.06 ± 4.41 years	0.113	0.200
Stature	1.63 ± 0.06 m	0.180^a	0.040
Body mass	60.70 ± 8.59 kg	0.586^a	<0.001
Body mass index	22.85 ± 2.58 kg/m²	0.610^a	<0.001
Arm circumference	26.02 ± 2.58 cm	0.607^a	<0.001
Forearm circumference	22.41 ± 1.45 cm	0.357^a	<0.001
Waist circumference (smallest portion)	69.26 ± 5.71 cm	0.615^a	<0.001
Waist circumference (umbilicus)	79.30 ± 7.65 cm	0.660^a	<0.001
Abdomen circumference	84.78 ± 6.96 cm	0.697^a	<0.001
Hip circumference	96.20 ± 6.04 cm	0.682^a	<0.001
Thigh circumference	52.48 ± 4.08 cm	0.471^a	<0.001
Leg circumference	34.91 ± 2.58 cm	0.426^a	<0.001

Mathematical model	R Value	R² Value	Standard error
BF% = - 11.85 + (0.2394 x BC of abdomen) + (0.713 x BC of arm) - (0.676 x BC of forearm) + (0.502 x BC of hip) - (0.357 x BC of thigh) - (0.121 x body mass)	0.768	0.591	3.0002
BF% = - 30.015 + (0.389 x BC of abdomen) + (0.5 x BC of hip) - (0.281 x body mass)	0.744	0.554	3.0935

Equation	Variables	Estimated body fat percentage	Pearson’s correlation		Paired t-test
Equation	Variables	Estimated body fat percentage	R value	P-value	T value	P-value
Model with six variables	Body mass and BC of arm, forearm, abdomen, hip and thigh	34.11 ± 3.52	0.768^a	<0.001	-0.04	0.967
Model with three variables	Body mass and BC of abdomen and hip	34.05 ± 3.40	0.744^a	<0.001	0.16	0.869
Bergman et al.⁸	Stature and BC of hip	28.38 ± 2.88	0.529^a	<0.001	16.66	<0.001^b
Deurenberg et al.¹⁶	Age and BMI	28.01 ± 3.37	0.595^a	<0.001	18.58	<0.001
Dumith et al.¹³	Age and BMI	24.30 ± 2.97	0.586^a	<0.001	30.02	<0.001^b
Dumith et al.¹³	Age and BC of waist	22.69 ± 2.21	0.607^a	<0.001	35.31	<0.001^b
Dumith et al.¹³	Age and waist-to-hip ratio	22.90 ± 0.95	0.106	0.228	27.90	<0.001^b
Dumith et al.¹³	Age and waist-to-height ratio	22.59 ± 2,42	0.526^a	<0.001	33.69	<0.001^b
Gallagher et al.¹⁵	Age and BMI	28.73 ±5.39	0.616^a	<0.001	13.82	<0.001^b
Kanellakis et al.¹⁴	Stature and BC of forearm, waist (umbilicus) and hip	32.24 ± 4.45	0.737^a	<0.001	6.44	<0.001^b
Tran e Weltman¹⁷	Stature, age, BC of abdomen^c and hip	29.08 ± 4.48	0.701^a	<0.001	16.34	<0.001^b