Equations based on anthropometric measurements for adipose tissue, body fat, or body density prediction in children and adolescents: a scoping review

Abstract

Purpose Assessing the body composition of children and adolescents is important to monitor their health status. Anthropometric measurements are feasible and less-expensive than other techniques for body composition assessment. This study aimed to systematically map anthropometric equations to predict adipose tissue, body fat, or density in children and adolescents, and to analyze methodological aspects of the development of anthropometric equations using skinfolds. Methods A scoping review was carried out following the PRISMA-ScR criteria. The search was carried out in eight databases. The methodological structure protocol of this scoping review was retrospectively registered in the Open Science Framework (https:// osf. io/ 35uhc/). Results We included 78 reports and 593 anthropometric equations. The samples consisted of healthy individuals, people with different diseases or disabilities, and athletes from different sports. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was the reference method most commonly used in developing equations. Triceps and subscapular skinfolds were the anthropometric measurements most frequently used as predictors in the equations. Age, stage of sexual maturation, and peak height velocity were used as complementary variables in the equations. Conclusion Our scoping review identified equations proposed for children and adolescents with a great diversity of characteristics. In many of the reports, important methodological aspects were not addressed, a factor that may be associated with equation bias. Level IV Evidence obtained from multiple time series analysis such as case studies. (NB: dramatic results in uncontrolled trials might also be regarded as this type of evidence).

Maternal Nutrition, Body Composition and Gestational Weight Gain on Low Birth Weight and Small for Gestational Age—A Cohort Study in an Indian Urban Slum

“…Although a single site may not reflect all fat stores, skinfold thicknesses are taken from multiple sites such as biceps, triceps, subscapular and suprailiac, indicating that subcutaneous fat on the limbs and body trunk are good predictors of FM. However, the skinfold thickness method lacks sensitivity in obese subjects, can vary with patterns of subcutaneous fat deposition in aging and differ between sexes [ 31 ]. Kulkarni et al developed and validated many of the anthropometric prediction equations for the estimation of lean body mass and appendicular lean soft tissue in Indian men and women, using DEXA as a gold standard [ 32 ].…”

Development and Validation of a Novel Waist Girth-Based Equation to Estimate Fat Mass in Young Colombian Elite Athletes (F20CA Equation): A STROSA-Based Study

“…Therefore, the assessment of nutritional status and body composition is extremely important to avoid unwarranted nutrient deficiencies, chronic low energy availability (LEA) and eating disorders [ 48 ]. Sports practitioners frequently rely on equations to estimate body composition (i.e., fat mass, musculoskeletal mass) as an accessible, practical and non-expensive methodology with moderate correlation to reference methods [ 23 ]; however, it is clear that the estimation of %BF without a population-specific equation or correction factor may lead to incorrect interpretations [ 49 ]. It should be emphasized that using wrong equations to assess body composition may affect the dietary planning process by resulting in inaccurate athlete resting energy expenditure or macronutrient distributions that may further evoke in chronic LEA or macro/micronutrients deficiencies [ 50 ].…”

“…Current scientific evidence on the estimation of %BF encourages researchers and practitioners to advocate for the creation of simple and specific equations to children and adolescents [ 23 ]. We successfully formulated a new simple, specific and WG-based two-component model to estimate body composition in Colombian children and adolescent elite athletes using ordinary least squares regression.…”

“…One year later, the same authors developed a specific equation for children between 8–14 years old (74 − (22 × Stature/WG) + (5 × sex)) [ 22 ]. Importantly, so far no anthropometry-based equations for estimating body composition in Colombian child and adolescent athletes have been developed [ 23 ]. The few research studies in this population focused on the external validation of skinfold-based equations [ 24 , 25 ] or the generation of anthropometric profiles [ 26 , 27 , 28 ].…”