Percentage Body Fat and Anthropometric Measures in Hong Kong Adolescents

Abstract

This study investigates the associations between percentage body fat (%BF) and anthropometric parameters in adolescents of mixed weight status. Anthropometric parameters including height, weight, and waist circumference (WC), and %BF were assessed in 903 Hong Kong Chinese students (mean age 14.7 years). The calculated body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-stature ratio (WSR) were used to classify students into different weight status groups and central obesity groups, respectively. The %BF/BMI and %BF/WC relationships were examined by partial correlation coefficients and linear regression models. The %BF correlated significantly with BMI, except in underweight boys. BMI predicted %BF better (adjusted R ²: 0.40 in boys; 0.85 in girls) than WC (adjusted R ²: 0.34 in boys; 0.63 in girls) or WSR (adjusted R ²: 0.33 in boys; 0.60 in girls). In general, BMI predicts %BF better than WC or WSR in Hong Kong adolescents, but these relationships are sex and weight status specific.

Keywords:

• percentage body fat
• body mass index
• waist circumference
• waist-to-stature ratio