First Reference Curve for Body Fat Percentage Among Schoolchildren of Babol in North of Iran: An International Comparison

Several studies have developed sex-specific reference percentile curves for body fat percentage in children to be adopted in clinical surveys. This study aimed to develop acceptable percentile curves for body fat percentage in children in Babol, North of Iran, to assess childhood obesity. Body fat percentile charts were created using bioelectrical impedance analysis of 7 to 11 years old schoolchildren from rural and urban parts of Babol. The obtained percentile charts were then smoothed. The findings showed that the mean fat percentages differed between boys and girls. The 50th percentile curve was slightly higher for boys of 7-11 years, with a peak fat percentage of 22.50% at 11 years of age, whereas the mean fat percentage increased with age in 7 to 9 years old girls (16.8%-22.05%), reduced slightly from 9 years of age, and then peaked at 25.5% at 11 years. This study provided reference curves for body fat percentage in the North Iranian children, who were found to have significantly high body fat percentage. It may be useful to further prepare national reference values and cut-off points for body fat percentage as a predictor of childhood obesity.