Study protocol and design
Our study protocol was designed to develop a new anthropometric index for BF estimation in severely obese patients. For this purpose, our obese patient sample was composed of two proportional and distinct databases: the building model database (BMD), composed of the same 72 patients for whom we previously found a low performance of the BAI in estimating BF [10]; and the validation model database (VMD), composed of new 72 paired obese patients. The BMD was applied to develop the new index from anthropometric data potentially predictive of BF, using the BF% obtained by ADP as reference standard. The VMD was applied to validate the new index by assessing its performance in estimating BF in a similar population. For this purpose, the correlation and agreement between the BF values estimated by the new index with the BF values estimated by ADP were assessed. Furthermore, the agreement between the BF values estimated by BAI with the BF values estimated by ADP also was assessed to identify the performance of BAI comparative to the new index. For all the analyses, each patient was evaluated on the same day, in the morning, and after a 4-h overnight fast. Patients were instructed not to smoke or to drink alcohol during the 24 h prior to measurements, which were performed by the same trained technician for all enrolled patients.
Patients
Sample size calculations were based on the development of a model with nine possible predictors, with an effect size of at least 0.15 and considering an alpha value of 5% and a power of 95% [11]. A total of 144 severely obese Brazilian patients (108 female, 36 male) aged 18–55 years old, who were candidates for bariatric surgery and each of whom had a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 (range: 30–62 kg/m2), were recruited from the Digestive Tract Surgery Service at the Hospital das Clinicas - University of São Paulo School of Medicine, São Paulo, Brazil. The exclusion criteria were neurologic or psychiatric conditions; substance abuse; lactating or pregnant women; HIV-positive or cancer patients; clinically detectable edema; physical amputations; and chronic or acute diseases of the liver, lung, kidney, or heart. All study procedures were performed according to the ethical standards of the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki. These and both datasets (building and validation) were approved by the institutional ethics review board – CAPPesq (1069/05 and 1011/09). Written informed consent was obtained from each patient prior to participation.
Anthropometric data
Each anthropometric data corresponds to an average of 3 sequentially repeated measures, which were performed as previously described elsewhere [10]. Briefly, body weight (kg, minimal variation of 10 g) was measured by using the weekly-calibrated body weight scale of the ADP system (Bod Pod body composition system, Life Measurement Instruments, Concord, CA, USA), with the patient standing in the center of the scale platform, barefoot, and wearing only underwear. Body height (cm) was obtained with a stadiometer (Sanny, São Paulo, Brazil), with the patient standing, barefoot with the heels together, back upright, and arms stretched next to the body. The abdominal circumference (AC) was measured using an inelastic metrical tape at the trunk midway between the lower costal margin (bottom of the lowest rib) and the iliac crest (top of the pelvic bone), with the patient standing with his/her feet 25–30 cm apart. The measurement was taken by fitting the tape snugly, without compressing the underlying soft tissue. Circumference was measured to the nearest 0.5 cm, at the end of a normal expiration [12]. The HC (cm) was measured by positioning a measuring tape in the horizontal plane at the greatest circumference of the buttocks [6, 13]. In addition, the BMI was calculated as body weight (kg) / [height (m)]2 and classified according to the World Health Organization scoring system [14, 15].
BF estimation by the BAI
The following equation was used to estimate BF by the BAI: BF% BAI = [(HC(cm) / height (m)1.5) − 18] × 1006.
BF estimation by ADP
Using the Bod Pod, ADP was performed to estimate the total BF. In the ADP method, the inverse relationship between pressure and volume proposed by Boyle (P1 × V1 = P2 × V2) was used to determine the body volume. Skin surface area artefact (SAA) also was calculated by the BOD POD software to allow changes in air temperature close to the subject’s skin. Body volume (BV) and body density (BD) were then calculated as V (L) = BVraw – SAA (L) + 40% TGV (L) and BF% was then calculated using Siri’s equation: BF% = (4.95/D – 4.5) × 100, where D = density. All measurements and calculations were automatically performed by the system software, and they are based on air volume and pressure variations inside the Bod Pod chamber when occupied and not occupied by the patient [12, 16]. During ADP evaluations, the patients wore only underwear and a cap to keep their hair fastened, and they remained in a sitting position inside the chamber [12]. Metallic objects, such as earrings, rings, chains, and body piercings, were not allowed.
New index design
Values of BF% obtained by ADP from the BMD were correlated with anthropometric data. Variables with a significant concordance with the BF% values provided by ADP were included in the initial index model and tested for the influence of gender and race by polynomial regression. The Akaike criterion was applied to select the variables to be used in the final index model, and a backward linear regression was applied to develop the specific BF prediction equation.
New index test for validation and performance
The agreement between the BF values from the ADP system with the two new BF equations and BAI were assessed according to the Pearson correlation, (r), accuracy (Cb), Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) and the Bland–Altman plot.
Statistical analysis
In addition to the statistical analysis described above for the development of validation of the new equation, descriptive data were compared by the Student’s unpaired t- test or the Mann-Whitney U-test, when appropriate. All statistical analyses were performed using the R software package (version 3.1.0, R Development Core Team, 2014). The results are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05 for all tests.