Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the accuracy of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to estimate body composition in overweight women is affected by the ethnicity of the individuals.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional design to compare body composition estimated by BIA to body composition measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), which was the reference method.
SUBJECTS: One hundred twenty three overweight women participated in this study, of which 43 women were African-American (aged 37.2±5.6 y; BMI, 32.3±4.9 kg/m2) and 80 were Caucasian (aged 36.1±5.7 y; BMI, 31.9±3.5 kg/m2).
MEASUREMENTS: Body composition was estimated from BIA using both a generalized and an obesity-specific equation. These estimations were compared to body composition measured by DEXA, which was the reference method.
RESULTS: The generalized BIA equation underestimated lean body mass (LBM) by 2.6±3.1 kg in Caucasian women and 0.4±3.2 kg in African-American women, with the difference between the ethnic groups being significant (P<0.001). The obesity-specific equation underestimated LBM in Caucasians by 0.9±3.1 kg and overestimated LBM in African-Americans by 1.2±2.8 kg (P<0.001). An ethnic-specific equation is proposed, and cross-validation of this equation indicates that it provides a reasonable estimate of body composition in overweight women.
CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of BIA to estimate body composition appears to be affected by the ethnicity of the individual. Therefore, an ethnic-specific equation for overweight women is proposed. However, further validation of this prediction model in an ethnically diverse population is necessary.
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Jakicic, J., Wing, R. & Lang, W. Bioelectrical impedance analysis to assess body composition in obese adult women: The effect of ethnicity. Int J Obes 22, 243–249 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0800576
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0800576
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