Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Paper
  • Published:

Body fat determination by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and its relation to body mass index and waist circumference in Hong Kong Chinese

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between percent body fat and body mass index (BMI) in the Chinese population of Hong Kong and to investigate whether the newly proposed lower BMI cut-offs for obesity in the Asia-Pacific Region recommended jointly by the International Association for the Study of Obesity, the International Obesity Task Force and the WHO are appropriate for Hong Kong Chinese.

METHODS: A total of 190 female and 140 male healthy subjects were recruited from the community. BMI was calculated as weight/height2. Body fat content (%BF) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).

RESULTS: Comparing %BF measured by DEXA with predicted %BF derived from BMI using a prediction formula developed in Caucasian population showed that the formula significantly under-predicted %BF by 1.1% in males and 3.4% in females. A predicted BMI of 25 and 30 kg/m2 using a Caucasian-based formula corresponds to an actual BMI of 23 and 25 kg/m2, respectively. On linear regression analysis, 25% BF corresponds to a BMI of 24.6 kg/m2 in males and a waist circumference of 86 cm; 35% BF corresponds to a BMI of 22.6 kg/m2 and a waist circumference of 73.5 cm in females.

CONCLUSION: Hong Kong Chinese population have a higher %BF for a given BMI which would partly explain why the health risks associated with obesity occur at a lower BMI. Our results would support the recommendations of using lower BMI cut-offs to define obesity in the Asia Region.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hodge AM, Zimmet PZ . The epidemiology of obesity Baillières Clin Endocrinol Metab 1994 8: 577–599.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. WHO . Obesity Preventing and managing the global epidemic Report on a WHO Consultation on Obesity, Geneva, 3–5 June, 1997, WHO/NUT/NCD/98.1. WHO: Geneva 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Deurenberg P, Yap M, van Staveren WA . Body mass index and percent body fat: a meta analysis among different ethnic groups Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1998 22: 1164–1171.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Wang J, Thornton JC, Russell M, Burastero S, Heymsfield SB, Pierson RN . Asians have lower body mass index (BMI) but higher percent body fat than do whites: comparisons of anthropometric measurements Am J Clin Nutr 1994 60: 23–28.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Guricci S, Hartriyanti Y, Hautvast JGAJ, Deurenberg P . Relationship between body fat and body mass index: differences between Indonesians and Dutch Caucasians Eur J Clin Nutr 1998 52: 779–783.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Steering Committee of the WHO Western Pacific Region, IASO & IOTF . The Asia-Pacific perspective: redefining obesity and its treatment Australia 2000.

  7. He M, Li ETS, Kung AWC . Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for body composition estimation in Chinese women Eur J Clin Nutr 1999 53: 933–937.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Deurenberg P, Weststrate JA, Seidell JC . Body mass index as a measure of body fatness: age and sex specific prediction formulas Br J Nutr 1991 65: 105–114.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. World Health Organization . Physical status: the use and interpretation of anthropometry. Technical Report Series 854. WHO: Geneva 1995.

  10. Luke A, Durazo-Arvizzu R, Rotimi C, Prewitt E, Forrester T, Wilks R, Ogunbiyi OL, Schoeller DA, McGee D, Cooper RS . Relation between BMI and body fat in black population samples from Nigeria, Jamaica and the United States Am J Epidemiol 1997 145: 620–628.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Norgan NG, Jones PRM . The effect of standardising the body mass index for relative sitting height Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1995 19: 206–208.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Swinburn BA, Craig PL, Daniel R, Dent DP, Strauss BJ . Body composition differences between Polynesians and Caucasians assessed by bioelectrical impedance Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1996 20: 889–894.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Deurenberg P, Deurenberg-Yap M, Wang J, Lin FP, Schmidt G . The impact of body build on the relationship between body mass index and percent body fat Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1999 23: 537–542.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Rissanen A, Heliovaara M, Knekt P, Reunanen A, Aromaa A, Maatela J . Risk of disability and mortality due to overweight in a Finnish population Br Med J 1990 301: 835–837.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Manson JE, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ . Body weight and mortality among women New Engl J Med 1995 333: 677–685.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Seidell JC, Verschuren WM, van Leer EM, Kromhout D . Overweight, underweight and mortality. A prospective study of 48,287 men and women Arch Intern Med 1996 156: 958–963.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Ko GTC, Chan JCN, Cockram CS, Woo J . Prediction of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia or albuminuria using simple anthropometric indexes in Hong Kong Chinese Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1999 23: 1136–1142.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Deurenberg-Yap M, Yian TB, Kai CS, Deurenberg P, van Staveren WA . Manifestation of cardiovascular risk factors at low levels of body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio in Singaporean Chinese Asia Pacific J Clin Nutr 1999 8: 177–183.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Hodge AM, Dowse GK, Gareeboo H, Tuomilehto J, Alberti KGMM, Zimmet PZ . Incidence, increasing prevalence and predictors of change in obesity and fat distribution over 5 y in the rapidly developing population of Mauritius Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1996 20: 137–146.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Inoue S . BMI in Japanese Research of the Grant of Ministry of Health and Welfare 1997 Tokyo 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Janus Ed . Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study 1995–1996 Hong Kong 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  22. McKeigue PM, Shah B, Marmot MG . Relation of central obesity and insulin resistance with high diabetes prevalence and cardiovascular risk in South Asians Lancet 1991 337: 382–386.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

He, M., Tan, K., Li, E. et al. Body fat determination by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and its relation to body mass index and waist circumference in Hong Kong Chinese. Int J Obes 25, 748–752 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801612

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801612

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links