Comparative Analysis of the Multi-Frequency Bio-impedance and Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry on Body Composition in Obese Subjects

To examine accuracy of body composition predicted by the Multi-Frequency Bioelectric Impedance Analysis (MF-BIA) compared with the Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) in adults with obese. We measured body composition of 749 adults with obese both by the MF-BIA and DXA. The Lin's concordance correlation and the Bland-Altman plots were used to examine the consistency. The concordance correlation coefficient of %BF between the MF-BIA and DXA in men and women was 0.560, and 0.669, respectively. Compared with the DXA, the MF-BIA significantly underestimated %BF by 4.33% in men (P < 0.001), however overestimated %BF by 0.50% in women (P < 0.001). After corrected by the correction equations established in this study, the differences were significantly decreased. Therefore, the MF-BIA (TANITA MC-180) may need to be corrected in estimating body composition for adults with obese.