• Ben Jemaa Houda, Khlifi Sarra, Inchirah Karmous, Jamoussi Henda, El Kari Khalid, Aguenaou Hassan, Aouidet Abdallah, and Mankaï Amani.
• Nutrition Department, Higher School of Health Sciences and Technics, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia.
• Afr Health Sci. 2023 Sep 1; 23 (3): 664671664-671.

ObjectivesThis study aims to evaluate the relation of body mass index (BMI) to fat mass among children by two techniques impedancemetry and deuterium oxide dilution (D2O).MethodsThis study was carried out in 156 schoolchildren aged between 8 and 11 years. The children received interrogation specifying lifestyle and food habits. Body composition was determined using the impedancemetry and D2O technique.ResultsThe results showed a difference between the percentage of obese and overweight children according to BMIZ classification (30.1%), bioelectrical impedance method (14.7%) and D2O technique (42.9%). Despite the difference between the last two classifications, we found a significant correlation between body fat percentages determined by impedancemetry and D2O technique (r = 0.695, p<0.01). Bioelectrical impedance analysis underestimated %BF by 78.02% in overall children, by 70.05% in boys and by 84.73% in girls compared to D2O technique.ConclusionThis study has demonstrated that the percentage of overweight and obesity varied according the methods used. Further development of body composition methods is needed in children for the real determination of the obesity prevalence and therefore a better monitoring of this public health problem.© 2023 Houda BJ et al.

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