CONCORDANCE BETWEEN EQUATIONS FOR BODY WEIGHT ESTIMATION AND THEIR USE IN DETERMINING BODY MASS INDEX IN HOSPITALIZED MEN AND WOMEN

Abstract

Introduction : Hospitalized patients require alternative nutritional assessment methods. Objective: To evaluate the concordance between predictive equations for body weight estimation and their use in determining body mass index in hospitalized men and women. Methods : This was a cross-sectional study in the university hospital. Estimated weight was calculated by using the predictive equations proposed by Chumlea et al., 1988 and Rabito et al., 2006. Actual nutritional diagnosis was obtained through the body mass index determined from the actual weight and the estimated weight. The agreement between the measurements was assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient and the Bland Altman analysis. It adopted the significance level of p < 0.05. Results: There were differences in women between the actual weight and the weight estimated with the equation by Chumlea et al. (p = 0.00); the same differences were found between actual body mass index and estimated body mass index (p = 0.00). The linear regression coefficient between actual weight and estimated weight, as calculated with the equation by the Rabito et al., was 0.44 (p = 0.00) in men and 0.18 (p = 0.03) in women. Similar results were found between the actual body mass index and the weight estimated with the equation by Rabito et al. in women (0.19; p = 0.02). There was excellent agreement between the actual weight and the estimated weight, and in the determination of body mass index. Conclusion : The weights calculated with the predictive equations compared to the actual weights show excellent agreement and low variability; the same is true for body mass index, hence indicating the use of both equations as an alternative, when real measurement is not possible. DOI: 10.12957/demetra.2017.25146