Correlations of body mass indices with weight, stature, and body composition in men and women in NHANES I and II.

It is useful to develop indices of weight and stature, or body mass indices (BMIs), that are highly correlated with weight, are independent of stature, and accurately reflect body composition. The anthropometric data collected in the NHANES I (1971-74) and NHANES II (1976-80) US population samples were used to test the statistical characteristics and biologic correlations of various BMIs reported in the literature. BMIs that are independent of stature and still highly correlated to weight (r = 0.89-0.98) over all ages and distributions of fatness and leanness are W/S2 in men and both W/S and W/S1.5 in women. These BMIs are also highly correlated to measured and calculated estimates of body composition including subscapular skinfold thickness (r = 0.78-0.80), arm circumference (r = 0.83-0.89), and arm fat area (r = 0.71-0.83).