Predicting Body Fat Percentage from Anthropometric Measurements in Asian Athletes.

PURPOSE: Researchers have predicted body fat percentage (BF%), as indicated by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), from skinfold thicknesses in North American and European athletes, but not athletes from other regions. We sought to estimate an equation to predict BF% in elite Asian athletes from their skinfold thickness and girth measurements, with DXA as a reference method. METHODS: We collected data from two samples of athletes on Singaporean national teams. With the first sample (n = 95), we developed an equation to predict BF%, and then tested the equation in the second sample (n = 21). We used backward stepwise regression and the Akaike information criteria (AIC) to determine the final equation. RESULTS: Triceps, subscapular, front thigh, and (natural log of) abdominal skinfold thicknesses, waist circumference, and female sex were positively associated with BF% (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our equation for predicting BF% from anthropometric measurements is the first one based on Asian athletes. This equation could help practitioners estimate BF% of Asian athletes if DXA is unavailable.