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Body composition, energy expenditure and physical activity

Body fat in Singaporean infants: development of body fat prediction equations in Asian newborns

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 67, pages 922–927 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/objectives:

Prediction equations are commonly used to estimate body fat from anthropometric measurements, but are population specific. We aimed to establish and validate a body composition prediction formula for Asian newborns, and compared the performance of this formula with that of a published equation.

Subjects/methods:

Among 262 neonates (174 from day 0, 88 from days 1–3 post delivery) from a prospective cohort study, body composition was measured using air-displacement plethysmography (PEA POD), with standard anthropometric measurements, including triceps and subscapular skinfolds. Using fat mass measurement by PEA POD as a reference, stepwise linear regression was utilized to develop a prediction equation in a randomly selected subgroup of 62 infants measured on days 1–3, which was then validated in another subgroup of 200 infants measured on days 0–3.

Results:

Regression analyses revealed subscapular skinfolds, weight, gender and gestational age were significant predictors of neonatal fat mass, explaining 81.1% of the variance, but not triceps skinfold or ethnicity. By Bland–Altman analyses, our prediction equation revealed a non-significant bias with limits of agreement (LOA) similar to those of a published equation for infants measured on days 1–3 (95% LOA: (−0.25, 0.26) kg vs (−0.23, 0.21) kg) and on day 0 (95% LOA: (−0.19, 0.17) kg vs (−0.17, 0.18) kg). The published equation, however, exhibited a systematic bias in our sample.

Conclusions:

Our equation requires only one skinfold site measurement, which can significantly reduce time and effort. It does not require the input of ethnicity and, thus, aid its application to other Asian neonatal populations.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge our fellow investigators of the GUSTO study group: Dennis Bier, Arijit Biswas, Cai Shirong, Helen Chan, Jerry Chan, Yiong Huak Chan, Cornelia Chee, Audrey Chia, Chiang Wen Chin, Chng Chai Kiat, Mary Chong, Chong Shang Chee, Chua Mei Chien, Wayne Cutfield, Mary Daniel, Ding Chun Ming, Anne Ferguson-Smith, Eric Andrew Finkelstein, Marielle Fortier, Doris Fok, Anne Goh, Daniel Goh, Joshua J Gooley, Han Wee Meng, Mark Hanson, Mikael Hartman, Michael Heymann, Stephen Hsu Chin-Ying, Hazel Inskip, Jeevesh Kapur, Joanna Holbrook, Lee Bee Wah, BFP Leutscher-Broekman, Lim Sok Bee, Loh Seong Feei, Low Yen Ling, Iliana Magiati, Susan Morton, Krishnamoorthy N, Cheryl Ngo, Pang Wei Wei, Prathiba Agarwal, Qiu Anqi, Quah Boon Long, Victor S Rajadurai, Jen Richmond, Anne Rifkin-Graboi, Allan Sheppard, Lynette Pei-Chi Shek, Borys Shuter, Leher Singh, So Wing Chee, Walter Stunkel, Su Lin Lin, Tan Kok Hian, Tan Soek Hui, Teoh Oon Hoe, Terry Yoke Yin Tong, Hugo Van Bever, Rob Van Dam, Sudhakar Venkatesh, Helena Marieke Verkooijen, Inez By Wong, PC Wong and George SH Yeo. This study is under the Translational Clinical Research (TCR) Flagship Programme on Developmental Pathways to Metabolic Disease, NMRC/TCR/004-NUS/2008, funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and administered by the National Medical Research Council (NMRC), Singapore.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore

    I M Aris, S E Soh & Y S Lee

  2. Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore

    S E Soh & S M Saw

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore

    M T Tint & Y S Chong

  4. Biostatistics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore

    S Liang

  5. Department of Neonatology, National University Hospital, National University Health System, Singapore

    A Chinnadurai

  6. Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore

    K Kwek

  7. MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit and NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

    K M Godfrey

  8. Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore

    P D Gluckman & Y S Lee

  9. Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore

    F K P Yap

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  1. I M Aris
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Correspondence to Y S Lee.

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Competing interests

PDG, KMG and Y-SC have received reimbursement for speaking at conferences sponsored by companies selling nutritional products. They are part of an academic consortium that has received research funding from Abbot Nutrition, Nestec and Danone. All other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Aris, I., Soh, S., Tint, M. et al. Body fat in Singaporean infants: development of body fat prediction equations in Asian newborns. Eur J Clin Nutr 67, 922–927 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.69

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.69

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