Relative accuracy of anthropometric-based body fat equations in males and females with varying BMI classifications

Summary Background BMI based body fat equations developed from Womersley and Durnin (BMIWO), Jackson et al. (BMIJA), Deurenberg et al. (BMIDE), and Gallagher et al. (BMIGA) are commonly used to quantify body fat percentage (BF%). However, relative fat mass (RFM) is a new anthropometric-based method that has been proposed as an alternative. Aims The purpose of this study was to examine the independent and interactive effects of sex and BMI classification on the relative accuracy of BMI-based body fat equations and RFM. Methods Males (n = 75) and females (n = 75) were stratified and classified into three different groups; 1) normal weight (n = 50 [NW: 50% males]; BMI Results A significant SEX × BMI interaction was detected for all comparisons (all p  Conclusions The current findings highlight that RFM does not appear to overcome error commonly associated with BMI-based body fat equations when stratifying by sex and BMI classification. Nonetheless, practitioners can use BMIWO, BMIDE, and RFM in males and females classified as NW or OB, but should employ caution prior to use in OW persons.