Abstract
The assessment of skinfold thickness is an objective measure of adiposity. The aims of this study were to establish Colombian smoothed centile charts and LMS L (Box–Cox transformation), M (median), and S (coefficient of variation) tables for triceps, subscapular, and triceps + subscapular skinfolds; appropriate cut-offs were selected using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis based on a population-based sample of children and adolescents in Bogotá, Colombia. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 9618 children and adolescents (55.7% girls; age range of 9–17.9 years). Triceps and subscapular skinfold measurements were obtained using standardized methods. We calculated the triceps + subscapular skinfold (T + SS) sum. Smoothed percentile curves for triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness were derived using the LMS method. ROC curve analyses were used to evaluate the optimal cut-off point of skinfold thickness for overweight and obesity, based on the International Obesity Task Force definitions. Subscapular and triceps skinfolds and T + SS were significantly higher in girls than in boys (p < 0.001). The ROC analysis showed that subscapular and triceps skinfolds and T + SS have a high discriminatory power in the identification of overweight and obesity in the sample population in this study. Our results provide sex- and age-specific normative reference standards for skinfold thickness values from a population from Bogotá, Colombia.
Highlights
The prevalence of overweight and obesity has become a public health problem worldwide [1].International organizations [2,3] and previous epidemiological cross-sectional studies [4,5] have suggested that individuals with a large accumulation of excess body fat are at greater risk of the development of adverse health consequences, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, osteoarthritis, gallbladder stone disease and asthma, as well as multiple malignancies [2,3,4,5,6,7]
The FUPRECOL study seeks to establish the general prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in the study population [27,28] and to examine the relationships between physical fitness levels, body composition, and cardio-metabolic risk factors
The results obtained in this study presented for the first time smoothed reference values for the triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses of a large, population-based sample of schoolchildren from Bogotá, Colombia
Summary
The prevalence of overweight and obesity has become a public health problem worldwide [1].International organizations [2,3] and previous epidemiological cross-sectional studies [4,5] have suggested that individuals with a large accumulation of excess body fat are at greater risk of the development of adverse health consequences, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, osteoarthritis, gallbladder stone disease and asthma, as well as multiple malignancies [2,3,4,5,6,7]. To estimate the magnitude of this problem, direct indicators were used to assess various anthropometric indicators, such as body mass index (BMI) [6], waist circumference (WC) [7], and double thicknesses of skin and subcutaneous fat, measured as skinfold thickness [8]. Longitudinal studies have shown that a healthy body composition in childhood and adolescence is associated with a healthier cardio-metabolic profile later on in life [14,15]. These findings have been replicated in clinical adult populations with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and several types of cancer [16,17]. Kromeyer-Hauschild et al [18] found that the additional information provided by skinfolds varies substantially according to BMI levels
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