Body fat assessment in youth with overweight or obesity by an automated bioelectrical impedance analysis device, in comparison with the dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry: a cross sectional study

Abstract

Background Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a widely used method to assess total body fat (TBF) depots characterising obesity. Automated BIA devices provide an inexpensive and easy assessment of TBF, making them widely available to the general public and healthcare providers without specific qualification to assess body composition. The equations included in the automated BIA devices have been developed in very few specific populations, which means that they are not suitable to assess TBF for everyone and need to be validated before use in other populations. The aim of the present work is to evaluate the accuracy of the automated BIA device Tanita® BC-532 in youth of White European ethnicity, compared with the dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), gold standard measurement of TBF. Methods Total body fat percentage (TBF%) was measured with the BIA device Tanita® BC-532 and DEXA (Hologic® QDR4500W) in 197 youth of White European ethnicity (N = 104 girls), 7-17 years old, and visiting the Diabetes & Endocrinology Care Paediatrics Clinic, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, for overweight or obesity management. Results TBF% evaluated with BIA was significantly correlated with TBF% measured with DEXA in both boys (r Pearson = 0.617) and girls (r Pearson = 0.648) (p < 10− 4). However, the residual mean between the assessment of TBF% by BIA and by DEXA [TBF BIA (%)-TBF DEXA (%)] is extremely high (mean ± standard deviation = 10.52% ± 5.22% in boys, respectively 9.96% ± 4.40% in girls). The maximal absolute residual value is also very high, about 24% in both genders. Conclusions The automated BIA device Tanita® BC-532 appears to be not accurate to assess total body fat in youth with overweight or obesity. There is a need to calibrate the BIA device before its use in the populations where it was not previously validated.

An Examination of Three Bioelectrical Impedance Body Composition Devices in College Students

“…6,7 Similar to this study's findings, other research has concluded that BIA devices differ significantly in their BC accuracy compared to gold standards such as DEXA. 4,5 Methodological Considerations:…”

“…Several studies have shown that BIA devices differ significantly in their BC accuracy compared to gold standard methods such as dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). 4,5 Other research has produced more positive results for the efficacy of BIA devices. Two studies found BIA to be a valid and accurate method for measuring BC equivalent to gold standard methods such as DEXA and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).…”

Assessment of Body Fat Percentage in Emirati Females: A Comparative Analysis of BIA vs DXA

“…Weight and height measurements, offer a simpler and quicker alternative, with Body Mass Index (BMI) being a widely employed metric (3). BMI's limitations include its inability to differentiate between muscle, fat, bone, or vital organs, leading to misclassi cation of individuals with high fat-free mass (FFM) relative to stature as overweight or obese, and its failure to account for variations in body composition among individuals (4,5). Moreover, body fat percentage (BF%) varies with age, sex, ethnicity, and individual differences, complicating the interpretation of BMI values (6).…”

“…BIA devices incorporate predictive equations for body fat that were originally developed using data from speci c demographic groups (4,12). Many of these equations were initially derived from studies involving predominantly white populations and subsequently applied to individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds.…”

Similarities and discrepancies between commercially available bioelectrical impedance analysis system and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for body composition assessment in 10–14-year-old children

“…Furthermore, even dual-frequency BIA can show large differences from DXA 31 . In studies of obese and diseased children, single-frequency BIA has shown discrepancies with DXA 32 , 33 . Impedance is a function of reactance and resistance 28 , 34 , and a potential solution to this problem is to incorporate technology that can measure reactance, making it possible for even a single-frequency BIA device to acquire information that reflects not only the resistance of the extracellular fluid, but also information from the cell membrane, thereby improving the accuracy of the measurements.…”