Assessment of body composition of Sri Lankan Australian children using ethnic specific equations

Abstract

Since ethnic differences exist in body composition,
assessment methods need to be validated prior to use in
different populations. This study attempts to validate the use
of Sri Lankan based body composition assessment tools on
a group of 5 - 15 year old Australian children of Sri Lankan
origin. The study was conducted at the Body Composition
Laboratory of the Children’s Nutrition Research Centre at the
Royal Children’s Hospital, Brisbane, Australia.

Height (Ht), weight (Wt), segmental length (L ) and skinfold thickness (SFT) were measured. The whole
body and segmental bio impedance analysis (BIA) were also
measured. The body composition determined by the deuterium
dilution technique (criterion method) was compared with the
assessments done using prediction equations developed on
Sri Lankan children. 27 boys and 15 girls were studied. All
predictions of body composition parameters, except percentage
fat mass (FM) assessed by the SFT-FM equation in girls gave
statistically significant correlations with the criterion method.
They had a low mean bias and most were not influenced
by the measured parameter. Although living in a different
socioeconomic state, the equations developed on children of
the same ethnic background gives a better predictive value of
body composition. This highlights the ethnic influence on body
composition.