Abstract
BACKGROUND: There are few longitudinal data on body composition in healthy children. This has prompted a reliance on notional standards such as the ‘reference child’, to validate new methods of determining body composition and comparing cross-sectional height, weight and fatness data.
OBJECTIVES: These were twofold—to provide normative longitudinal data on changes in body composition in healthy pre-pubertal children, and to compare measures of growth and body composition with the appropriate age-specific reference child.
DESIGN: A sample of healthy Scottish children aged 7–8 y (n=257) was recruited during 1991/1992. Data on height, weight, skinfold thickness and resistance from bioelectrical impedance analysis were collected twice, 12 months apart. Percentage body fat was estimated from both skinfolds and bioelectrical impedance.
RESULTS: Fat and fat-free mass, but not body mass index, differed between boys and girls. All measurements increased significantly over the 12 month period except percentage body fat from skinfolds in boys. The reference child comparison revealed that our sample was taller, heavier and fatter and gained weight and fat mass at a greater rate than the Fomon standards.
CONCLUSIONS: Data from the children in this study suggest that the reference child has a body composition which is now out of date. This may have important implications for body composition methodology. New references for height and weight may be required, but an upgrading of the body fat reference may conflict with public health aims to reduce obesity.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ruxton, C., Reilly, J. & Kirk, T. Body composition of healthy 7- and 8-year-old children and a comparison with the ‘reference child’. Int J Obes 23, 1276–1281 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801067
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801067
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Sexual dimorphism of leptin and adiposity in children between 0 and 10 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Biology of Sex Differences (2022)
-
Longitudinal assessment of body composition in healthy Swedish children from 1 week until 4 years of age
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2017)
-
Childhood obesity: prevention and strategies of intervention. A systematic review of school-based interventions in primary schools
Journal of Endocrinological Investigation (2014)
-
Measurement and Definitions of Obesity In Childhood and Adolescence: A field guide for the uninitiated
Nutrition Journal (2007)
-
Childhood obesity, prevalence and prevention
Nutrition Journal (2005)