Body Adiposity Index

Body Adiposity Index

The Body Adiposity Index (BAI) is a method of measuring human body fat. Unlike the body mass index (BMI) usually used as a proxy for body fat, the BAI is calculated without using body weight. It is stated by its definers that, based on population studies, the BAI is numerically approximately equal to the percentage of body fat for adult men and women of differing ethnicities.

The BAI is calculated as:

BAI = hip circumference in centimetres / (height in metres) − 18

Hip circumference (R = 0.602) and height (R = −0.524) are strongly correlated with percentage of body fat. Comparing BAI with "gold standard" dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) results, the correlation between DXA-derived percentage of adiposity and the BAI in a target population was R = 0.85, with a concordance of C_b = 0.95.

Stated advantages of the BAI are that it approximates body fat percentage, while the widely used BMI is known to be of limited accuracy, and is different for males and females with similar percentage body adiposity; and that it does not involve weighing, so can be used in remote locations with limited access to scales.

References

External links

• New obesity index proposed, but further work needed (theheart.org)
• Better than a BMI? New obesity scale proposed (Ottawa Citizen, originally Reuters)

Retrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_Adiposity_Index