Assessment of body composition in Sri Lankan adults: development and validation of bioelectrical impedance prediction equation

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a simple and quick method used for assessment of body composition (BC). Present study aims to develop and validate a BIA prediction equation for Sri Lankan adults. Healthy adults (>= 18 years) were randomly selected for development and validation of the equation. BIA was performed using the Inbody 230 multifrequency analyzer. BC analysis was also evaluated by deuterium oxide (D2O) dilution. Prediction equations for TBW/FFM were derived by linear-regression analysis. Study population included 170 adults, of which 32.9% were males. Mean age and BMI were 43.2 +/- 12.6 years and 24.1 +/- 4.5 kg/m(2), respectively. Final equation for TBW (r = 0.915,p < 0.001) and FFM (r = 0.906,p < 0.001) correlated significantly with values obtained by D2O dilution. Therefore, this equation is suitable for estimation of BC parameters, such as TBW, FM, FFM, and %BF in Sri Lankan adults, and is possibly appropriate for use in other South Asian populations, including those living in Western countries.