[Body mass index and body fat in Lebanese female adolescents]

The aim of this study is to investigate the relation between body mass index [BMI] and body fat [BF] among Lebanese female adolescents. 51 Lebanese females aged 12 to 18 years participated in this study. BMI was calculated as weight/height. Adiposity was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry [DEXA]. Correlation coefficient of percent body fat [%BF] with BMI is 0.82. Correlation coefficient of fat mass [BF] with BMI is 0.93. The two linear regression formulas are:%BF=6.89+ [1.1 *BMI] and BF=-0.425+ [129 *BMI]. Correlations of BMI with DEXA measurements were higher with BF than%BF. For a given BMI, Lebanese girls have a higher than expected%BF. Based on the current findings, there may be a need to develop new cutoff points. From a public health perspective, this may considerably increase the prevalence of obesity among Lebanese female adolescents