Somatometric indices and body component composition as criteria for screening obesity in the ontogenetic aspect: case study on Magadan region female population

BACKGROUND: Body mass index is the most common method for diagnosing and classifying obesity. However, the reliability of this method has recently been increasingly questioned.

AIM: The study assessed the age dynamics of somatometric indices, including body mass index and body composition characteristics. A comparative assessment on the informative value of the considered indices and classification of obesity in the female population of Magadan region were also carried out.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven hundred and fifty-four women of different age groups were examined to study the picture of physical development and characteristics of the body component composition using the bioelectric impedance method.

RESULTS: It could be seen that in the line from early adult females to the elderly examinees, a significant decrease in FFMI variables occurred with an increase in FMI, FM/FFM, total fat content, and the ratio of waist waist to hip ratio. We considered the fact that in the group with the normal BMI range, representatives of the 2nd mature and elderly age had a reduced content of the muscle component, as characteristic of sarcopenic tendencies, and combined with high values of FM/FFM, indicating obesity, and we suggested that it was incorrect to use the BMI indicator as an identifier of the overweight and obesity in older age groups. Meanwhile, the ROC analysis of dependence of BMI on the variables of FM/FFM >0.4 conv. Units allowed us to determine the optimal range of normal body mass in the group of early adult females and representatives of the 1st mature age. It was equal to 24 kg/m². The correlation analysis showed no bonds between BMI and the FM/FFM ratio in the subjects of the 2nd mature and elderly age and, like the ROC analysis, it also indicated a restriction on the use of BMI as a marker of obesity risk in these periods of ontogenesis.

CONCLUSION: The Magadan region female population survey has shown that standard BMI ranges appear to be uncertain criteria for classifying obesity in women of the 2nd mature and elderly periods of ontogenesis, while the FM/FFM ratio indicator can be a more suitable informative marker for identifying obesity and sarcopenic signs, owing to its considering the body composition components.

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