Abstract
BackgroundIn Saudi Arabia, where childhood obesity is a major public health issue, it is important to identify the best tool for obesity classification. Hence, we compared two field methods for their usefulness in epidemiological studies.MethodsThe sample consisted of 874 primary school (grade I-IV) children, aged 6–10 years, and was obtained through a multi-stage random sampling procedure. Weight and height were measured, and BMI (kg/m2) was calculated. Percent body fat was determined with a Futrex analyzer that uses near infrared reactance (NIR) technology. Method specific cut-off values were used for obesity classification. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were determined for BMI, and the agreement between BMI and percent body fat was calculated.ResultsCompared to boys, the mean BMI was higher in girls whereas the mean percent body fat was lower (p-values <0.0001). According to BMI, the prevalence of overweight or obesity was significantly higher in girls (34.3% vs. 17.3%); as oppose to percent body fat, which was similar between the sexes (6.6% vs. 7.0%). The sensitivity of BMI to classify overweight or obesity was high (boys =93%, girls = 100%); and its false-positive detection rate was also high (boys = 63%, girls = 81%). The agreement rate was low between these two methods (boys = 0.48, girls =0.24).ConclusionsThere is poor agreement in obesity classification between BMI and percent body fat, using NIR method, among Saudi school children.
Highlights
In Saudi Arabia, where childhood obesity is a major public health issue, it is important to identify the best tool for obesity classification
Overview of the study The office of the deanship of research at the Qassim University, Saudi Arabia, funded this cross-sectional study; and the study protocol was approved by the Research Ethical Committee at Qassim University
The study participants were all Saudi nationals as the public schools in Saudi Arabia, from where the sample was drawn, are reserved for its citizens
Summary
In Saudi Arabia, where childhood obesity is a major public health issue, it is important to identify the best tool for obesity classification. The prevalence of childhood obesity in Saudi Arabia has been increasing consistently for the past 20 years. The prevalence in the reported studies varied according to the age and sex distribution of their samples, a clear geographical variation in the overweight prevalence is evident [3]. The prevalence of obesity is likely to vary by its method of estimation. BMI is relatively easy to calculate, inexpensive, and is widely used in the epidemiological studies. It does not distinguish between fat and lean body mass. Densitometry, DEXA, and MRI provide more accurate measures of obesity but are unsuitable for epidemiological studies since they require specialized equipment and skilled manpower; and they are expensive
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