Anthropometric indicators of body fat as discriminators of low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescents

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the discriminatory power of anthropometric indicators of body fat (BF) for identifying low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness, as well as the association between cutoff points and low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescents.

Design and methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving 1132 students (age 14-19 years). The following anthropometric variables were measured according to international standards: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), triceps skinfold thickness (TR), subscapular skinfold (SS), suprailiac skinfold (SI), sum of triceps and subscapular skinfolds (∑TR + SS), and sum of triceps, subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds (∑TR + SS + SI). The BF percentage was calculated using the equations of Lohman (1986) (%FL), Slaughter et al. (1988) (%FS), and Boileau et al. (1985) (%FB).

Results: Except for TR, WC, WHtR and BMI, boys with values for the other anthropometric indicators (SS, SI, ∑TR + SS, ∑TR + SS + SI, %FL, %FS, %FB) above the cutoff point were more likely to have low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness. Girls with values for TR, ∑TR + SS, %FB and %FL above the cutoff points were more likely to have low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness.

Conclusions: Anthropometric indicators had discriminatory power to identify low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness.

Practice implications: The reported anthropometric indicators, indexes and equations can be used by healthcare professionals in clinical practice and by school teachers as a simple, fast and inexpensive alternative to identify low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness.

Keywords: Body fat; Physical activity; Skinfold.