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Anthropometric Estimation of Maternal Body Composition in Late Gestation

From the Department of Reproductive Biology, Case Western Reserve University, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio.

Address reprint requests to: Patrick M. Catalano, MD, Case Western Reserve University, MetroHealth Medical Center, Department of Reproductive Biology, 2500 MetroHealth Drive, Cleveland, OH 44109, E-mail: pcatalano{at}metrohealth.org

Objective: To construct a model to estimate maternal body composition in late gestation using anthropometric measurements.

Methods: Twenty healthy pregnant women at 30 weeks’ gestation had estimates of body composition using hydro-densitometry, with corrections for residual lung volume, and total body water using ¹⁸O (development group). Total H₂ body water was estimated from ¹⁸O abundances measured by gas-isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. Maternal age, height, weight, and seven skinfold sites were correlated with fat mass using stepwise regression analysis. The anthropometric model to estimate fat mass was then tested prospectively in a second group of 20 subjects and correlated with underwater weighing and total body water measurements (validation group). Statistical analysis used ², paired t and Wilcoxon sign-rank tests.

Results: There were no statistically significant differences in maternal demographics between groups. The fat mass of development group subjects using underwater weighing and total body water was 22.7 ± 7.6 kg. Using the development group, a model was derived that explained 91% of the variance in fat mass by underwater weighing and total body water using maternal weight and triceps, subscapular, and suprailiac skinfolds (r² = 0.91, P < .001). When tested prospectively in the validation group, the correlation remained statistically significant (r² = 0.89, P < .001). There was no statistically significant (P = .88) difference between the anthropometric estimates of fat mass and underwater weighing and total body water measurements (95% confidence interval -2.476, 2.748 kg of fat mass).

Conclusion: This anthropometric model can be used to predict maternal fat mass in late gestation.

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