Body Mass Index Is a Better Indicator of Body Composition than Weight-for-Length at Age 1 Month

Objective To assess whether body mass index (BMI) provides a better assessment of measured adiposity at age 1 month compared with weight-for-length (WFL). Study design Participants were healthy term-born infants in the Infant Growth and Microbiome (n = 146) and the Baby Peas (n = 147) studies. Length, weight, and body composition by air displacement plethysmography were measured at 1 month. World Health Organization-based WFL and BMI z -scores were calculated. Within-cohort z -scores of percent fat-Z, fat mass-Z, fat mass/length 2 -Z, fat mass/length 3 -Z, fat-free mass-Z, and fat-free mass/length 2 -Z were calculated. Correlation and multiple linear regression (adjusted for birth weight) analyses tested the associations between body composition outcomes and BMI-Z vs WFL-Z. Quantile regression was used to test the stability of these associations across the distribution of body compositions. Results The sample was 52% female and 56% African American. Accounting for birth weight, both BMI-Z and WFL-Z were strongly associated with fat mass-Z (coefficients 0.56 and 0.35, respectively), FM/L 2 -Z (0.73 and 0.51), and FM/L 3 -Z (0.79 and 0.58), with stronger associations for BMI-Z compared with WFL-Z ( P Conclusions We demonstrate in 2 distinct cohorts that BMI is a better indicator of adiposity in early infancy compared with WFL. Our findings support the preferred use of BMI for growth and nutritional status assessment in infancy.