Validity of the body mass index as an indicator of the risk and presence of overweight in adolescents

Abstract

The validity of the body mass index (BMI) as an indicator of the risk of becoming overweight and of the presence of overweight was evaluated in 6 groups of adolescents comprising several ethnic groups (n = 1570, aged 9-19 y). With use of triceps skinfold thickness and estimated percentage body fat as the criteria for adiposity, BMI had high specificities (86.1-98.8% for risk of overweight and 96.3-100% for presence of overweight) and lower but variable sensitivities (4.3-75.0% for risk of overweight and 14.3-60% for presence of overweight). Thus, almost all adolescents who were not at risk for overweight or who were not overweight were classified correctly. In contrast, many adolescents who were at rist of overweight or who were overweight were not correctly identified as measured by BMI. Partial correlations, controlling for age, between BMI and the triceps skinfold thickness and estimated percentage body fat were generally moderate to moderately high, whereas BMI and triceps skinfold thickness appeared to be equally related to estimated total body fatness and percentage body fat in Mexican American and Austrian white males. BMI was better correlated with trunk skinfold thicknesses, but when relative subcutaneous fat distribution was statistically controlled, the trunk-extremity contrast in the correlations was no longer apparent.