The objective of this study was to apply a three-component model of body composition to a group of obese women in order to (a) establish the relative value of a number of readily available prediction equations by comparison of the extent of agreement between these predictions and body composition estimated by the model and other reference methods and (b) evaluate density and hydration of fat-free mass. Estimation of body composition was carried out by reference methods and prediction equations and the usefulness of these prediction equations for application specifically to obese women was evaluated. The subjects were 15 obese, otherwise healthy, Caucasian women (body mass index > 30kg/m2 and body fat > 40% of body weight, as originally determined using densitometry). Body composition was estimated using three established reference methods (deuterium dilution which primarily measures total body water, densitometry for body fat and fat-free mass and total body potassium) and the three component model constructed from deuterium dilution and densitometry. Density and hydration fraction of the fat-free mass were calculated from appropriate values obtained as integral parts of the three-component model. In addition, body composition was predicted from various prediction equations incorporating weight and height (some of which include a factor for age), from a number of prediction equations utilizing different terms involving the same whole-body bio-electrical impedance measurement and from measurements of skinfold thickness and near infrared interactance. The extent of agreement between methods was assessed using bias and 95% limits of agreement. Mean density of fat-free mass was found to be 1.104 kg/l (s.d. 0.006kg/l) with a range of 1.093 to 1.117 kg/l, and mean hydration fraction was 0.712 (s.d. 0.016) with a range of hydration from 68.2% to 75.1% (all values were calculated from the three-component model). In general, the reference methods (densitometry, deuterium dilution, the three-component model and total body potassium) demonstrated better agreement with each other than with the prediction methods or equations. In these obese women, skinfold thickness measurements are apparently less reliable (large bias and 95% limits of agreement) than in the lean subjects of a variety of other studies. A majority of interpretations of weight and height measurements and predictions incorporating impedance/resistance measurements are apparently not applicable to this group of obese women, due to large values for both bias and 95% limits of agreement.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)