Body composition predicted from skinfolds in African women: a cross-validation study using air-displacement plethysmography and a black-specific equation

Skinfold thickness (SF) measurements are commonly used for the indirect assessment of body composition. It is necessary to know how large the bias is when using Caucasian SF-based prediction equations Africans, as no specific equations exist. Our first aim was to test the validity of the equation of Durnin & Womersley for predicting body density from SF in Africans. The second aim was to determine the effect of calculating percentage body fat (%BF) from body density using a black-specific formula rather than the Siri equation, thus taking into account the higher fat-free mass (FFM) density in blacks than in whites. A total of 196 African women volunteered. Mean age was 29·5 (sd 8·7) years and mean BMI was 22·5 (sd 4·6) kg/m2. We compared body density values predicted from SF with those measured by air-displacement plethysmography, and %BF values obtained from body density using the Siri equation or the black-specific calculation. The bias (reference minus prediction) was 0·0100 kg/cm3 in body density (P