Body mass index, triceps skinfold and waist circumference in screening foradiposity in male children and adolescents

Simple anthropometric measurements and indices are the most commonly used t ools for assessing body composition. Only a few papers have examined the se nsitivity and specificity of the body mass index (BMI) against total body f at percentage (TBF%) from underwater weighing in children and adolescents. The objective of the study was to evaluate the screening performance of BMI , triceps skinfold thickness and waist circumference for excess TBF%. A tot al of 175 healthy volunteer males, aged 7.0-16.9 y, participated in the stu dy. TBF% was measured using underwater weighing as the reference method. Re ceiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to assess the value of the three anthropometric measurements as a screening measure for total adiposity. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated at several per centile cut-offs for BMI, triceps skinfold and waist circumference. The are as under the ROC curves were also calculated, and were 0.86 for BMI, 0.90 f or triceps skinfold and 0.88 for waist circumference. The point on the ROC curve closest to 1 corresponded to the 70th percentile for BMI, to the 75th percentile for triceps skinfold, and to the 70th percentile for waist circ umference. Conclusion: BMI, triceps skinfold and waist circumference predicted total f at content well in male children and adolescents.