Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany.
Obes Facts. 2021;14(6):593-603. doi: 10.1159/000518638. Epub 2021 Oct 5.
Body composition assessment is superior to the use of body mass index (BMI) to characterize the nutritional status in pediatric populations. For data interpretation, suitable reference data are needed; hence, we aimed to generate age-dependent and sex-specific body composition reference data in a larger population of children and adolescents in Germany.
This is a cross-sectional study on a representative group of 15,392 5- to 17-year-old children and adolescents. Body composition was assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis using a population-specific algorithm validated against air displacement plethysmography. Age- and sex-specific percentiles for BMI, fat mass index (FMI), fat-free mass index (FFMI), and a "load-capacity model" (characterized by the ratios of fat mass [FM]/ fatt-free mass [FFM] and FM/FFM2) were modeled using the LMS method.
BMI, FMI, FFMI, FM/FFM, and FM/FFM2 curves showed similar shapes between boys and girls with steady increases in BMI, FMI, and FFMI, while FM/FFM2-centiles decreased during early childhood and adolescence. Sex differences were observed in FMI and FM/FFM percentiles with increases in FMI up to age 9 years followed by a steady decrease in FM/FFM during and after puberty with a fast-growing FFMI up to age 17 in boys. The prevalence of low FFM relative to FM reached more than 60% in overweight children and adolescents.
These pediatric body composition reference data enable physicians and public health scientists to monitor body composition during growth and development and to interpret individual data. The data point out to an early risk of sarcopenia in overweight children and adolescents.
与身体质量指数（BMI）相比，身体成分评估更能描述儿科人群的营养状况。为了进行数据解读，需要有合适的参考数据；因此，我们旨在生成德国较大儿童和青少年群体中具有年龄依赖性和性别特异性的身体成分参考数据。
这是一项对 15392 名 5 至 17 岁儿童和青少年的代表性群体进行的横断面研究。使用经过空气置换体积描记法验证的特定于人群的算法通过生物电阻抗分析评估身体成分。使用 LMS 方法对 BMI、脂肪量指数（FMI）、去脂体重指数（FFMI）和“负荷能力模型”（由脂肪量 [FM]/去脂体重 [FFM]和 FM/FFM2 的比值来表示）的年龄和性别特定百分位数进行建模。
BMI、FMI、FFMI、FM/FFM 和 FM/FFM2 曲线在男孩和女孩之间具有相似的形状，BMI、FMI 和 FFMI 持续增加，而 FM/FFM2 百分位数在儿童早期和青春期下降。在 FMI 和 FM/FFM 百分位数中观察到性别差异，FMI 增加到 9 岁，随后在青春期和之后 FM/FFM 持续下降，男孩的 FFMI 迅速增加到 17 岁。超重儿童和青少年中，FFM 相对于 FM 的低比例超过 60%。
这些儿科身体成分参考数据使医生和公共卫生科学家能够在生长发育期间监测身体成分，并解释个体数据。这些数据指出超重儿童和青少年存在肌少症的早期风险。
