Document Type
Article
Source of Publication
PLoS ONE
Publication Date
5-1-2024
Abstract
Body Adiposity Index (BAI), which relies on an individual’s hip circumference and height, was proposed as an alternative anthropometric measurement to Body Mass Index (BMI). Although this measure has been validated across different populations, its accuracy in predicting percent body fat (%BF) in the United Arab Emirates has not yet been assessed. The objective of this study was to examine the association between BAI, BMI, Waist Circumference (WC), and %BF in young female Emirati adults and determine the relative accuracy of BAI when predicting %BF. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among 95 Emirati women between the ages of 17 and 27. The %BF was measured using the dual-energy X-ray absorption (DXA) scanner. Anthropometric measurements were collected, and BMI and BAI were calculated. BMI and %BF (r = 0.823, p <0.001) showed a greater association than that between BAI and %BF (r = 0.702, p <0.001). A linear regression analysis revealed that BMI was the single best predictor of %BF in the sample (r2 = 0.678, p<0.001). The variation around the regression line for BAI comparisons with %BF (standard error of estimate = 4.879) was greater than BMI comparisons (standard error of estimate = 3.889). BAI was found to significantly underestimate %BF at higher adiposity levels (mean difference = 8.7%). The ROC curve analysis demonstrated that BMI had a higher discriminatory capacity (AUC = 0.891) over WC and BAI. The results demonstrated that BMI was a better predictor of %BF in the sample than BAI and WC. Thus, BMI may be more useful in assessing adiposity in young female Emirati adults than BAI. However, the potential of BAI as an alternative measure of adiposity should continue to be examined.
DOI Link
ISSN
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Volume
19
Issue
5 May
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
Keywords
Body Adiposity Index, BMI, Waist Circumference, Percent Body Fat
Scopus ID
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Haroun, Dalia; Darwish, Maryam; and Ehsanallah, Aseel, "Associations of body adiposity index, body mass index, waist circumference, and percentage of body fat in young female Emirati adults" (2024). All Works. 6587.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/6587
Indexed in Scopus
yes
Open Access
yes
Open Access Type
Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series