Deurenberg et al used an equation to estimate the percent body fat of an adult. The authors are from Wageningen Agricultural University in The Netherlands and Institute of Health in Singapore.
Parameters:
(1) body mass index
(2) age in years
(3) sex (1 if male, 0 if female)
percent body fat =
= (1.294 * (BMI)) + (0.2 * (age in years)) - (11.4 * (points for sex)) - 8
While estimates are reasonable for Causasians, estimates may be less accurate for other racial groups.
Mean value for measured minus predicted percent body fat
Racial Group
Male
Female
Caucasian
0.1
0.1
Afroamerican
-1.9
-1.9
Ethiopian
9.9
10
Chinese
1.0
0
Thai
7.6
5.9
Indonesian
6.7
8.8
Polynesian
-4.1
-3.9
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