Exploration of body fat status and appropriate obesity cut-offs in children based on body composition

HE Lu; ZHAO Yan; GONG Jinxin; ZHAO Lu; ZHANG Xiaolin; MAO Guanghui; MA Zhourui; SHI Xiaoyan; CAI Shizhong; YAN Xiangming

doi:10.11852/zgetbjzz2024-1233

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Chinese Journal of Child Health Care ›› 2025, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (2) : 160-165. DOI: 10.11852/zgetbjzz2024-1233

Original Articles

Exploration of body fat status and appropriate obesity cut-offs in children based on body composition

HE Lu¹, ZHAO Yan², GONG Jinxin¹, ZHAO Lu¹, ZHANG Xiaolin¹, MAO Guanghui¹, MA Zhourui³, SHI Xiaoyan⁴, CAI Shizhong¹, YAN Xiangming⁵

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Abstract

Objective To explore the body fat status in children using body composition, and to explore the cut-off values of fat mass index (FMI) and body fat percentage (PBF) for the diagnosis of obesity in children. Methods A cross-sectional design was adopted. From January 2017 to August 2022, body composition of 22 198 children who visited the outpatient department of Child Health Care of Children′s Hospital of Soochow University was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Body mass index (BMI), fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM),FMI and PBF of children were recorded. Results BMI, PBF and FMI of boys and girls showed a downward trend from 3 to 5 years old, and showed an increasing trend after 5 years old, while PBF and FMI of boys showed a downward or flat trend after 10 years old. ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of FMI and PBF of sex and age in the diagnosis of obesity was greater than 0.900, and the specificity and sensitivity were basically greater than 90%. Conclusions FMI and PBF have high diagnostic value as clinical indicators for predicting obesity. The application of FMI or PBF can intuitively and accurately reflect the content and changes of body fat in children.

Key words

obesity / body composition / fat mass index / percent body fat / children

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HE Lu, ZHAO Yan, GONG Jinxin, ZHAO Lu, ZHANG Xiaolin, MAO Guanghui, MA Zhourui, SHI Xiaoyan, CAI Shizhong, YAN Xiangming. Exploration of body fat status and appropriate obesity cut-offs in children based on body composition[J]. Chinese Journal of Child Health Care. 2025, 33(2): 160-165 https://doi.org/10.11852/zgetbjzz2024-1233

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