Correlation between Body Mass Index and Body Fat Percentage

Abstract

Background: Body mass index (BMI) has been used to determine the nutritional status which is classified into low, normal, overweight or obese. The BMI only shows a comparison of height and weight instead of body composition which consists of fat mass and fat-free mass. Most of people assumed that BMI overage means fat mass overage as well, yet it does not occur in all cases. This study was conducted to measure the correlation between BMI and body fat percentage. Methods: An analytical study was conducted to 100 male and female students respectively from Universitas Padjadjaran Jatinangor batch 2009 to 2013. The body weight was measured using scales , whereas the body height was measured using stature meter. The body fat percentage was measured using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). The BMI was calculated by dividing the body weight in kilogram divided by body height in meter square. Data was collected from September to October 2013 and analyzed by Pearson's correlation test. Results: The mean of BMI in male students and female students were 22.56 and 21.35 respectively. The body fat percentage was 16.44 for men and 28.09 for women. Correlation score between BMI and fat mass in male students were 0.853 and female students are 0.834. Conclusions: There is a strong and positive correlation between BMI and body fat percentage both in male and female students in Universitas Padjadjaran Jatinangor. Among this population, BMI can still be used to determine body fat percentage. [AMJ.2015;2(4):575-8]

Relationship between Height-Weight Difference Index and Body-Fat Percentage Estimated by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis in Thai Adults

“…However, Pearson's correlation coefficients were found to be low ( r = −0.20 for men and r = −0.47 for women) when compared to previous studies that utilized other obesity evaluation tools with BF% [16, 18, 19]. In 1996, Gallagher et al [20] studied the relationship between BMI and BF% and reported values of r = 0.58 for men and r = 0.72 for women.…”

“…In 1996, Gallagher et al [ 20 ] studied the relationship between BMI and BF% and reported values of r = 0.58 for men and r = 0.72 for women. Ilman et al [ 19 ] have reported r = 0.85 for men and r = 0.83 for women. Each study described a distinct BF% prediction model.…”

“…Each study described a distinct BF% prediction model. It had been previously reported that, besides age and gender, other variables such as nationality, ethnicity, and religion can also help improve the accuracy of a BF% prediction model [ 16 , 19 – 23 ].…”

How does cognitive function measured by the reaction time and critical flicker fusion frequency correlate with the academic performance of students?

“…The arm to height ratio can negatively affect RTs but not in a linear fashion [ 46 ]. The BMI has a positive correlation with fat percentage [ 47 , 48 ] and a complex correlation with muscle mass, handgrip strength and endurance [ 49 ]. All these factors can affect RTs individually, with a generally positive correlation between fat percentage and VRT and a negative correlation between muscle function indices and RTs [ 44 , 50 – 52 ].…”

Interventions for Body Fat Reduction among Pakistani Women: A Randomized Control Trial Study

“…The South Asian have higher percent body fat (Misra et al, 2014) generally, while comparing with gender reference women significantly greater percent body fat as compared to male (Dias et al, 2016;Ilman, Zuhairini, & Siddiq, 2016;Juntaping et al, 2017;Jackson et al, 2002), but comparing within same gender the Asian women have higher body fat as compared to white (Deurenberg, Yap, & Van Staveren, 1998;Küpper et al, 1998;, Chinese (Ntuk et al, 2014), Norwegian (Falch, & Steihaug, 2000), and American women (Kamath et al, 1999).…”