Estimation of CT-derived abdominal visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue depots from anthropometry in Europeans, South Asians and African Caribbeans

• Published in: PloS one 2013-09, Vol.8 (9), p.e75085-e75085
• Main Authors: Eastwood, Sophie V, Tillin, Therese, Wright, Andrew, Heasman, John, Willis, Joseph, Godsland, Ian F, Forouhi, Nita, Whincup, Peter, Hughes, Alun D, Chaturvedi, Nishi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdomen; Adipose tissue; Adiposity; Aged; Anthropometry; Anthropometry - methods; Asian people; Asians; Blacks; Body Composition; Body fat; Body mass index; Body measurements; Cardiovascular disease; CAT scans; Computed tomography; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cultural differences; Diabetes; Diagnostic imaging; Ethnicity; Europeans; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gender; Gender differences; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Heart; Hip; Hospitals; Humans; Intra-Abdominal Fat - anatomy & histology; Male; Mathematical models; Medical imaging; Mens health; Metabolism; Middle Aged; Migrants; Minority & ethnic groups; Models, Anatomic; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Obesity; Predictions; Reproducibility of Results; Risk analysis; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Studies; Subcutaneous Fat - anatomy & histology; Thigh; Tomography; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Whites; Womens health
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075085

South Asians and African Caribbeans experience more cardiometabolic disease than Europeans. Risk factors include visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous abdominal (SAT) adipose tissue, which vary with ethnicity and are difficult to quantify using anthropometry. We developed and cross-validated ethnicity and gender-specific equations using anthropometrics to predict VAT and SAT. 669 Europeans, 514 South Asians and 227 African Caribbeans (70 ± 7 years) underwent anthropometric measurement and abdominal CT scanning. South Asian and African Caribbean participants were first-generation migrants living in London. Prediction equations were derived for CT-measured VAT and SAT using stepwise regression, then cross-validated by comparing actual and predicted means. South Asians had more and African Caribbeans less VAT than Europeans. For basic VAT prediction equations (age and waist circumference), model fit was better in men (R(2) range 0.59-0.71) than women (range 0.35-0.59). Expanded equations (+ weight, height, hip and thigh circumference) improved fit for South Asian and African Caribbean women (R(2) 0.35 to 0.55, and 0.43 to 0.56 respectively). For basic SAT equations, R(2) was 0.69-0.77, and for expanded equations it was 0.72-0.86. Cross-validation showed differences between actual and estimated VAT of