PREDICTION OF INTRAABDOMINAL AND SUBCUTANEOUS ABDOMINAL ADIPOSE-TISSUE IN HEALTHY PRE-PUBERTAL CHILDREN

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship of intra-abdominal adipose tiss ue (IAAT) and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT) with body c omposition and anthropometry in children. DESIGN: Cross-sectional data analysis. SUBJECTS: 113 heathy Caucasian and African-American, pre-pu bertal children aged 4-10y. MEASUREMENTS: IAAT and SAAT by single slic e computed tomography at the level of the umbilicus; total fat and tru nk fat by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA); anthropometric eval uation by skinfolds and circumferences. RESULTS: IAAT was most strongl y correlated with abdominal skinfold (r = 0.88) and trunk fat by DEXA (r = 0.87), and SAAT with trunk fat by DEXA (r = 0.96), total fat by D EXA (r = 0.93) and waist circumference (r = 0.93). In stepwise regress ion, IAAT was best predicted by trunk fat from DEXA, total fat from DE XA, and abdominal skinfold (R-2 = 0.85); SAAT was best predicted by tr unk fat from DEXA, body weight, waist circumference and abdominal skin fold (R-2 = 0.96). In the absence of DEXA data, IAAT was best predicte d by abdominal skinfold, ethnicity and subscapular skinfold (R-2 = 0.8 2) and SAAT was best predicted by waist circumference subscapular skin fold, height and abdominal skinfold (R-2 = 0.92). The prediction equat ions with and without DEXA were successfully cross-validated in an ind ependent sample of 12 additional measures of IAAT and SAAT. CONCLUSION : These data provide useful information that can help in the interpret ation of anthropometric data with regard to body fat distribution. IAA T and SAAT can be accurately estimated in Caucasian and African-Americ an prepubertal children from anthropometry with and without the availa bility of DEXA data.