TY - JOUR
T1 - Body composition from birth to 6 mo of age in Ethiopian infants
T2 - reference data obtained by air-displacement plethysmography
AU - Andersen, Gregers Stig
AU - Girma, Tsinuel
AU - Wells, Jonathan C
AU - Kæstel, Pernille
AU - Leventi, Marilena
AU - Hother, Anne-Louise
AU - Michaelsen, Kim F.
AU - Friis, Henrik
N1 - CURIS 2013 NEXS 214
PY - 2013/10/1
Y1 - 2013/10/1
N2 - Background: Data on body composition in infancy may improve the understanding of the relation between variability in fetal and infant growth and disease risk through the life course. Although new assessment techniques have recently become available, body composition is rarely described in infants from low-income settings Objective: The aim of this study was to provide reference data for fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) from birth to the age of 6 mo from an urban African population Design: We conducted a prospective cohort study among infants from Jimma, Ethiopia. FM and FFM were measured at birth and at 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, and 6 mo of age with air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) validated against a stable isotope method in a subsample Reference charts and reference tables with z scores and percentiles for FM, FFM, FM index (FMI; in kg/m2), and FFM index (FFMI: in kg/m2) were constructed with the lambdamu- sigma method Results: Body composition growth charts were based on a total of 2026 measurements of body composition obtained from 378 infants FM and FMI gain progressed in a logarithmic-shaped curve and variation increased with increasing age, whereas FFM increased in an almost linear manner with a minor deceleration at around 3 mo of age. The FFMI curve showed a very modest exponential increase with age Conclusions: By presenting z scores and centile reference charts for an apparently healthy urban Ethiopian infant population, this study represents a first step toward providing reference data on FM and FFM for an urban African context, which is important for future clinical care and research.
AB - Background: Data on body composition in infancy may improve the understanding of the relation between variability in fetal and infant growth and disease risk through the life course. Although new assessment techniques have recently become available, body composition is rarely described in infants from low-income settings Objective: The aim of this study was to provide reference data for fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) from birth to the age of 6 mo from an urban African population Design: We conducted a prospective cohort study among infants from Jimma, Ethiopia. FM and FFM were measured at birth and at 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, and 6 mo of age with air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) validated against a stable isotope method in a subsample Reference charts and reference tables with z scores and percentiles for FM, FFM, FM index (FMI; in kg/m2), and FFM index (FFMI: in kg/m2) were constructed with the lambdamu- sigma method Results: Body composition growth charts were based on a total of 2026 measurements of body composition obtained from 378 infants FM and FMI gain progressed in a logarithmic-shaped curve and variation increased with increasing age, whereas FFM increased in an almost linear manner with a minor deceleration at around 3 mo of age. The FFMI curve showed a very modest exponential increase with age Conclusions: By presenting z scores and centile reference charts for an apparently healthy urban Ethiopian infant population, this study represents a first step toward providing reference data on FM and FFM for an urban African context, which is important for future clinical care and research.
U2 - 10.3945/ajcn.113.063032
DO - 10.3945/ajcn.113.063032
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 23985805
SN - 0002-9165
VL - 98
SP - 885
EP - 894
JO - American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
JF - American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
IS - 4
ER -