Relationship between body mass indices and measures of body adiposity

Abstract

We examined the relationship between various body mass indices (BMIs), skinfold measures, and laboratory measures of body fat in 474 males aged 20-70 years. Evaluations included height, weight, skinfold thickness, and hydrostatic measurements of adiposity. The weight-height ratio (W/H), Quetelet index (W/H3), Khosla-Lowe index (W/H2), and Benn index [W/H(P)] were calculated. The correlations among the various BMIs were high, ranging from 0.91 to 0.99, and all were strongly correlated with weight (rs = 0.81-0.98), while only W/H2 (r = -.03) and W/H(P) (r = -.01) were not correlated with height. The W/H2 and W/H(P) had the strongest correlation with hydrostatic and skinfold measurements, although all the BMIs were significantly correlated with these measurements. Results suggest that the Benn index and the Quetelet index are equally valid estimates of body fat in respect to their relationship with hydrostatic measures.